A Collection
by Jennypen
Summary: I want to capture you, I want to immortalise, the way you play with your hair, the way you flash your eyes... So you will always be in my... collection. AkuRoku. CleNo. Lucky. Hinted Yullen. Crossover also with D.Gray-Man, Kuroshitsuji and others...!
1. Prologue

**Ok, so I've rewritten and fixed parts of this, and have taken the decision to split it into chapters. As I'm doing this - it's gonna take me a few days to edit down, so I'll post it bit by bit as I get it done (this is unusual for me!)**

**Also, at the end, I'll post a little afterword, just talking about all of the little silly references that are in it, in case you were wondering what they were!**

**Also - this story now has a Kingdom Hearts-only prequel, called Where There's a Will, posted and done and dusted. It was because of this that I had to rewrite A Collection - I contradicted myself all over the place ;)**

**Enjoy this confused meandering through the redheaded meandering of my mind!**

**As always, dedicated to the one and only Colleen.**

* * *

Prologue

_I want to capture you,_

_I want to immortalise,_

_The way you play with your hair,_

_The way you flash your eyes..._

The crescent moon illuminated the bourgeois Parisian streets, lending a holy glow to what was not a particularly exciting night. A figure idled along the boulevard, the silver crest on his chest both drawing attention and serving as a warning to steer clear - as it was, his arms were casually thrown behind his head as the boy wandered somewhat without purpose, as though hovering, waiting for something to happen. His uncovered eye was gazing at the sky as he rifled a hand through his flaming, short spiked hair, and adjusted his detailed headband. Turning down a small alleyway to cut through to the Champs-Elysées, the boy, no older than eighteen but a world of experience evident in his single green shining eye, felt a cold chill on his shoulder, and the odd sensation of displaced air. He whipped around, but saw nothing. Unconsciously, he fingered a miniature hammer attached to his trousers. Suddenly, from the other end of the alleyway, an angry voice called out.

"Baka usagi, are we going to have to wait all day for your dawdling?"

The boy laughed. "Naaah, Yuu-chan, were you longing for my illustrious presence?" He could feel the other bristling from twenty feet away. "Ah, don't sweat it. I'm coming, I'm coming. It's just -" He turned to face the wall next to him, staring at it with a questioning eye.

"If you don't move it, the goddamn moyashi will have had all the fun without us." As if to accentuate his companion's point, the echo of a loud crash finally reached the boy's ears.

He grinned. "We can't have that, can we?" With that, he took off running towards his impatient companion at the end of the alley, glee evident in his expression.

Behind him, a tall, dark figure, made even taller by the top hat he wore, stepped out from nowhere, to move through the wall, passing through it as though it was a projection. He looked wistfully towards where the red-haired youth had run off, his grey lips tight. He clenched his fist, and backed into the wall, disappearing the same way he came.


	2. Chapter One

**All references to the Will and the Word belong to David and Leigh Eddings.**

* * *

Chapter 1

Ok, so he was short, but he'd never quite felt so vertically challenged as today. No matter how hard he fought, his opponent was able to simply lean out of the way, and at one point he found himself being stepped on as the other's long legs lifted high and came down on his shoulders. Roxas, sweat dripping off his drooping blond locks, leapt into the air, growling as he swung his foot towards his opponent with a strength hitherto unseen. A round wooden ring blocked its path, as it had been for over an hour, but, thinking quickly, he gave in to the inevitable and loosed his hastily-gathered Will with a single Word.

"Light!" He saw the other boy's green eyes widen as the room exploded with a bright, white light, the focus of it in the centre of the room in the shape of a column. Roxas landed on the ground and immediately ran towards the already-dissipating brightness. As the blinding light receded and Roxas regained his vision, a crumpled heap was revealed in its wake on the floor, red hair poking up from underneath a tangle of limbs. Roxas put a hand on the other's shoulder. "Axel...?"

Out of the corner of his eye, Roxas noticed, slightly too late, the telltale shift of his sparring mate's index finger, and his brain interpreted the muffled Spoken sound from the floor.

"Burn, baby!"

Roxas threw a palm to his face, mentally cursing the fact that he'd again underestimated Axel's strength, as a circle of flames surrounded them both. Axel stood to his full height, smirking down at the glowering blond, the flames curving over them to form a dome. Roxas glared up at the tall redhead, playful anger evident in his eyes. Axel touched a caring hand to his cheek, and Roxas softened, leaning into the embrace. "That never gets old, y'know. Sucker."

A smile teased the corner of Roxas' mouth. "If a sucker was all you wanted, you could have just waited until we got out of here." The intensity of the flames rippled briefly as Roxas' meaning hit the redhead and sank in. He laughed, and dropped his hand. Instantly, the circle of fire disappeared, leaving a slightly singed ring on the floor around them, and a fresh sheen of sweat on Roxas' brow. Irritatingly, Axel didn't even look flushed. A voice called out to them.

"Don't tell me it's another draw, no! I'll help ya out, bro!"

Roxas laughed as Axel's older brother, who had been watching from the sidelines, raced towards them helter skelter, exuberance radiating from his eager stride. Axel winked at Roxas, and turned slowly towards the approaching figure, who raised his weapon high into the air, the tip crackling with electricity. As the rod swung towards Roxas, Axel waited until his brother was passing him and he reached out a swift hand, grabbing the long ponytail that inevitably followed the identically coloured redhead everywhere. The surprised squeak he received for his efforts made Roxas laugh. "Hey, what gives, yo!"

"Reno, I got it covered. Besides, it's a training session, you dumb-ass. You get WAY too excited."

Reno turned to face his little brother, and head butted him, knocking him to the ground, forcing Axel's hand to release its grip on his precious locks. "Whatever. You don't touch my hair, Axel." Roxas was amused to note the faint outline of Reno's goggles pressed into Axel's forehead. "You were just worried I'd hurt your lil' Roxie-poo!"

Axel groaned from the floor and rubbed his aching head, raising himself up to recline on his free elbow. "After that little light show? You're welcome to him. Big pansy!"

Reno couldn't help but guffaw at that, but Roxas wasn't so amused and he kicked Axel's supporting elbow out from under him, sending him crashing to the gym floor once more.

Axel swore loudly. "Et tu, Rox-ay?"

A slow, sarcastic clap sounded from the top of the room. "God, grow up Axel. Just because you finally got hurt for once. No-one likes losing their streak, but seriously, you couldn't hold that particular record for much longer." The three turned toward the voice, respectful eyes raised to the spiky blond pacing towards them.

Reno grunted and shifted position, putting his arm around Cloud's shoulder, careful to avoid the enormous Buster sword's handle between the blond's shoulder blades. "It wasn't bad at all, was it, Cloud?"

Cloud shook his head, and fixed Roxas with an approving expression. "You're getting stronger, Roxas. Well done." Roxas blushed furiously, but accepted the compliment with a nod.

Axel pushed himself to his knees, and stood up slowly, slyly slipping his hand into Roxas' and squeezing it gently. "Who knows, Rox, maybe soon you'll be able to chuck meteors around like they're beach balls." Reno grinned as he felt Cloud stiffen beneath his arm.

Cloud scowled at Axel's comment. "Desperate times can show you the strength of your Will, Axel. I'm not one for posing." Axel threw his head back and roared with laughter. Cloud's scowl deepened.

"Right, which explains why you use such a subtle weapon. You're just Mister Modesty, Cloud." Roxas felt the atmosphere in the gym thicken, but then he saw Axel wink at Cloud, who, despite his serious face, was poorly disguising both laughter in his eyes, and the softest edge of a blush in his cheeks. The tiniest tug at the edge of his lips showed that he was secretly amused.

Reno punched Axel's shoulder playfully. "Says the kid who throws fire around like there was an approaching Ice Age."

"Hey, at least I recognise posing when I see it!" He turned to Roxas, seriousness painted across his face. "Roxas, that Light... that was bigger than anything else you've ever done. Cloud's right, you are getting stronger." He winced, and put a hand to his abdomen. "...I think I'm gonna go take a shower now."

Reno laughed at him. "Smarts, does it? Poor booboo. You better man up though, little bro, because I'm not taking you back today - we're going out to celebrate, remember?" Axel nodded at Reno in understanding.

"Yeah, I remember. Have fun. Congratulations again."

Roxas looked between the two in confusion, missing the significance of the interchange, but it was clearly something big.

Reno's eyes lit up, and he grinned like the Cheshire Cat. "If I see Asch, I'll let you know. He still owes you that money, doesn't he?"

"Yeah. He's not been by in a few weeks though."

"No problem. See ya!" Reno grabbed Cloud by the back of his shirt and started to drag him out, flinging the buster sword behind him as he went. There was a brief burst of light, and a slamming noise, and then the gym was left in silence. Roxas broke it after a short moment.

"Celebrate?"

Axel blinked, and then slapped his forehead. "Oh right, I totally forgot to tell you, didn't I. Reno got that job he really wanted." Roxas tried to remember the details, but they wouldn't come to mind.

"The... security thing?"

Axel nodded. "Yeah, for that company back in Midgar. He's over the moon because that's where Cloud works too, and they'll commute from here together for a little while, but then they're gonna move in together. Thank God, I say. I am getting REALLY tired of hearing Cloud trying to be quiet in Reno's room. He grunts so loud." Roxas laughed, but he could see that Axel was happy for his older brother. "So obviously, they're going to do what any normal person would do in this situation."

"Get completely rat-arsed?"

"That's the one. It *is* Reno. You can tell Cloud's pleased too, though. They've gone to the QR." He grinned.

"Who's Asch?"

"Asch? He's the General of the Radiant Knights. He goes drinking from time to time in the QR. He's a grumpy bastard."

"...and he apparently owes you money?"

"Heh, he's not as good at poker as he thought he was. He hasn't come by to play in a few weeks though, which is unusual for him. Never mind that though. Where did all that Will come from back there? You've never actually hurt me before."

Roxas' eyes widened. "Is it bad?"

Axel shook his head. "Naw, I'm made of sterner stuff than that, Rox. But seriously. It was awesome," he said, smirking.

"Hehe. Guess I was tired of your untouchable streak. You've always been so much stronger than me, and I know you hold back, I can feel it. Just wanted to give you something to think about." He stopped and finally asked the question that had been in his head for months but he'd been too shy to ask. "Axel... are you feeling... stable?"

Axel stilled, understanding Roxas' gentle question. "Yeah, I really am. Better than ever, really." As he spoke, he held out his hand, and a small flame ignited within his palm. The action was so subtle, Roxas couldn't even feel his Will flow, and he was dumbstruck by how much of a natural Axel was. He hadn't even heard him Speak a real Word, and he found himself drawn to the firestarter with the same sense of wonder he had had when he first met Axel. With a sense of relief, he also could see that the older boy was beginning to get a handle on his natural tendency to Leech Will from those around him, as he could feel no pull on his own. "Guess I'm just getting better, bit by bit. Anyway. Hurt. Shower." With that, he limped off in the direction of the showers, leaving Roxas to pick up the duo's bags from the bench under the clock. Roxas glanced upwards, the time suddenly reminding him how hungry he was. A little bead of sweat trickled into his left eye, and he realised how he must look. He followed Axel into the locker room and dropped their bags next to the benches.

Roxas stripped quickly and walked towards the steamy haze. He could hear a strange whistling - almost like two whistles at once - a jaunty tune, and a background mono-tonal humming sound underneath the first. Bemused by the particular song Axel had chosen to whistle, Roxas smiled to himself, but his grin was short-lived as he noticed a small stream of red sloshing into the plughole just below the step into the showers. Following the trail to its source, Roxas' eyes widened when they fell on the purplish, angry gash dragging up Axel's right side. He rushed forward, but Axel silenced him with a raised finger, indicating him to wait. The bright whistling stopped.

"One sec. It's nearly there." The background hum rose in volume, and its purpose became clear to Roxas - it was the gentle sound of Axel's Will being focused for something very careful and specific. In front of him, the wound was already closing, but agonisingly slowly. Axel continued to whistle softly until the gash was sealed completely. Roxas could see the sweat on his brow, and the slump of his shoulders. He didn't bother to let it go beyond scarring, knowing that nature could manage by itself from there.

"Axel, I'm sorry, I didn't mean for you-"

"Hey, don't worry about it," Axel cut him off, "I needed practice doing this anyway. It's a lot easier to burn stuff than it is to heal it. Besides, I don't particularly mind you marking me. Shows where ya got me, doesn't it?" He winked and smiled wanly at Roxas, but there was no hiding that the effort of healing his wound had left him exhausted. He shrugged.

"As long as you're ok." Roxas laughed, despite himself. "So uh... is your pride intact?"

Axel smirked at him. "Not right now. But it's about to be." Without warning, he grabbed Roxas by the waist and hoisted him against the cold tiled wall, directly under the shower head. Roxas yelped in surprise as the redhead pressed his hips against Roxas' and wrapped the shorter boy's legs around him. "_Close_." Roxas heard a click from the doorway and knew the door was locked. He looked up at Axel, feigning innocence, but, with his eyes wide in mock incomprehension, he gently bit his bottom lip, knowing full well what he looked like. Axel growled hungrily and pressed his lips to Roxas', his tongue demanding entry impatiently. Roxas chuckled internally - he knew Axel would have little patience after getting that physically worked up. His lips parted but he met the firestarter's tongue with his own, his usual determination evident in the fight for dominance. He could feel the corners of Axel's lips tease upwards in pleasure, and he knew he had hit the right mood.

Axel looked down at Roxas and breathed, "You look quite beautiful like that, Roxas." Roxas blushed, and Axel took the opportunity to kiss each burning cheek chastely.

It was an odd sensation, pressed up against the wall like that - the tiles were alarmingly cold but Axel was almost burning to the touch - given his natural affinity for fire, Axel was somewhat known for having a fairly highly-set hypothalamus, the result of his being a Speaker - it was quite disconcerting. He was jolted from his thoughts at the feeling of a finger furiously tip-toeing down his spine into the small of his back. He grinned into the almost violent-by-now kiss, and nodded. "Just get on with it." At his encouragement, he felt Axel's arousal press against his right buttock, and he shifted himself to put it right next to his entrance.

"Sometimes, Roxas... you are just too good for me."

* * *

When both had been sated, showered, dressed and ready, Axel and Roxas left the gym, heading in the general direction of the small ice cream parlour a few blocks away. Roxas chattered happily about studying for his finals, and about how his portfolio was coming along for his college application. Axel listened with a general sense of contentment to the blond babbling about his new brushes. He was looking forward to Roxas starting college next term, as it meant they'd have a lot more time together. The last piece of the puzzle - Roxas' independent piece - was beginning to take shape, and Roxas couldn't keep the glee from his voice when he spoke about how it was nearly ready for painting. It was a model of the oldest locomotive still in use in the town, although the real thing was purple, and Axel knew from having stolen a peek in Roxas' project drawer that the paint he'd purchased was Flame Red, identical to Axel (and, indeed, his older brother)'s hair. He adored Roxas' obsession with his hair - it was nothing to Axel, just came from the same genes as Reno's did, but Roxas was fascinated by it. Axel was sure it was the gravity-defying style it naturally fell into (though he did shape it when he felt the urge) that was the cause of the attention. For his part, it had started pointing upwards the first day he discovered the Will and the Word, and it had never settled flat since.

Both jumped at the tinny, shrill tone of Axel's phone. Roxas made a face. "I thought you were going to change that. It's embarrassing and utterly lame."

"But it's funny to watch it wind you up, Rox." He swiped a thumb across the screen and put it to his ear. "Yo Re-huh? No, were just about to, then - ok, that's great, but Roxas was planning on - really?" His voice was incredulous. "But I thought you guys were-" Roxas heard the voice on the other end raise its pitch several tones. "Alright, alright, if you insist. Hope you're prepared to lose big, Reno." He hung up and looked apologetically at his lover. "Roxas, he wants me to go meet him. Apparently Erin is letting them play a poker game in the back room, and there's some dude there who's minted who keeps losing. Sorry... do you mind if I head off?" Roxas shook his head. Given their slight age difference and phenomenal height difference, they were rarely able to get Roxas sneaked into bars. Reno had been taking Axel drinking as soon as he was old enough to wink at a barmaid, so Roxas was used to the two disappearing into the night for a booze up. He wanted to put the primer on his model, anyways, and he could never work properly with Axel around. Axel was a fidget, and it was unbelievably distracting.

"Nah, it's ok. If you win big though, I want a present."

"Done." Axel drew him close, and planted a soft kiss on the boy's lips. Roxas grinned into the kiss, and reached one arm around to pinch Axel's behind, while the other removed the unwieldy gym bag from Axel's free hand. Axel startled, and laughed. "See you later, Rox." He turned on his heel, and wandered off in the same direction Cloud and Reno had left in an hour or so previously.

Reno was going to get cleaned out, Roxas thought to himself. Axel was a far superior player as he had exactly the right skill in scheming, underhandedness and general mind-fuckery. He was without at doubt the most manipulative poker player Roxas had ever seen, and already, he was looking forward to his gift.

* * *

Reno hadn't actually ever mentioned he'd be, but Axel knew where to go - the only place Reno considered worthy of his custom, the Quester's Rest. Erin, the blue-haired landlady, was easily the most capable, friendly and yet tough barkeep in the whole town, and thus Reno frequented the bar exclusively. Even Cloud liked the place, and that was saying a lot - Axel knew his missed the old crowd at his favourite watering hole back home in Midgar.

As he approached the brightly lit pub, he spotted Reno outside arguing with Cloud. Given how different their personalities were, clashes were frequent, and thus Axel had no qualms in ignoring the ongoing tiff and rocked up to the couple, quiet patience drawn from experience.

"Reno, Cloud, fun night?"

Cloud nodded his head curtly as a greeting. "Oh, hilarious, Axel. Your delinquent brother doesn't know to quit when he's ahead." Reno scowled sweetly at his lover, and stuck an unlit cigarette between his lips after pausing to stick his tongue out. A tiny spark in front of him lit the end of the slender stick, and he grunted his thanks at his brother. Cloud gave Axel a sideways look. "You have GOT to show me how you manage that without so much of a whisper, you know."

Axel shrugged. "Meh, is no biggy. So why should Reno be quitting? And how did he EVER get ahead!"

Reno's scowl was genuine this time. "Cloud's just being a chickenshit. I'm so on a winner here! This guy is good, but I'm better. It's really great!"

Cloud's reply was serious, and Axel looked at him, narrowing his eyes at Cloud's concern. "Reno, something is strange about him and you know it. This guy... he loses too precisely, I just think he's-"

Reno cut off Cloud's plea. "Seriously, what are you talking about. If you're bored (and you are), go home, but the money is too good to ignore. If we're looking for a place..."

Cloud's expression softened, signalling his defeat. "Fine, but I'm going home - I'm not gonna come back and carry your sorry ass home when you're crying over your losses." He made to move, but suddenly remembered his manners, and said, "See you, Axel. Good luck." He then turned on his heel and stormed off, and Axel bemusedly observed to himself how familiar the sight of Cloud's stiffly exiting back was.

Reno shrugged it off and shouted after him.

"See you tomorrow, SWEETIE!"

He turned to his brother and laughed, the argument already forgotten. One of the things Axel adored his brother for was his utter irrepressibility. "So, Ax, ya gotta meet this guy, seriously. Bet you've never seen anyone with glasses this thick!" He gestured towards the entrance, stamping out the hastily-puffed cigarette. Axel followed him inside, waving briefly to Erin as they passed the bar and entered the little games room off to the side. Over in the corner, there were two empty seats at a large round table, which was occupied by three people - Pavo and Trunks, regulars at the bar, and a third figure.

As Reno had warned him, he wore the thickest glasses Axel had ever seen, topped by a messy mop of curly black hair. He had a wide smile, a creased white shirt, and a bent, unlit cigarette stump graced his bottom lip, clearly a habitual location. A few flecks of stubble were dotted over his tanned, almost olive skin, and he was grinning politely. Reno made hurried introductions, eager to begin again.

"Ax, Pavo and Trunks you know, but this is Tyki Mikk. He's new in town. Tyki, this is my brother Axel."

The stranger nodded.

"That is quite obvious. Greetings."

Axel nodded to him and smiled carefully, Cloud's earlier distress playing on his mind. "Nice to meetcha. So what're we playing?" Tyki laughed - a deep, amused laugh.

"We don't really play with children, shōnen, but your brother says you can hold your own. Think you can keep up?" Axel and Reno exchanged a glance, and Reno answered for him.

"He's ok. Give the kid a chance."

* * *

**TWO HOURS LATER**

"Royal Straight Flush!" Trunks, Pavo, Reno and Tyki cried at once as Axel nonchalantly laid his cards on the table and casually began to scoop of the rather large pot, which had accumulated steadily over several tense rounds of bidding. As the other four grumbled, Erin swept by the table, and reminded the five that closing time had been fifteen minutes previously. Tyki bowed his head graciously to her, and apologised for taking so long. Trunks and Pavo got up and left together fairly rapidly, waving a quick goodbye to the remaining three. Tyki stood slowly and gathered the cards, binding them with a shoelace. Reno was staring daggers at his brother, who was making a show of ignoring him completely as he counted his winnings. There was a lot of money there - Axel couldn't wait to go shopping for Roxas with it. He already knew the easel he was going to get him, which he'd thought would take several months to save up for, but now he had enough for some other extras, too.

"Shōnen, what a shame that this delightful establishment is closing. I have a bar at my home if you'd like to continue this game, it's not far from here..." Axel was about to respond politely in the negative, as he was tired, but he caught Reno's pleading face. Reno wasn't particularly bothered by the money, but he adored the game itself, and it was patently obvious that he was having the time of his life. Mentally swearing at the time, he nodded slightly to his older brother.

"Aw THANKS Ax, this'll be great! This is already great!"

Axel shoved the rest of his winnings into his coat pockets, and nodded to their new companion to lead on. Tyki turned out of the room, and, out of sight, he brought a hand to his face and grinned to himself, perhaps a little too widely.

* * *

**I've just noticed that between this and Where There's a Will, I've made an awful lot of references to Roxas being sweaty. It's not a fetish, honestly. Also, an explanation of how Speaking/The Will and the Word works can be found there. I do not bother to explain it here.**


	3. Chapter Two

**Warning: meandering addition of canon into AU. Sorry in advance.**

* * *

It was freezing outside, but Axel had to remind Reno to don his coat as the older boy was so hopelessly inebriated that he couldn't have felt a burning hot poker if it had been shoved up against his prostate (but Axel assumed Cloud was still a bit wound up at Reno for that kind of behaviour, so poor Reno would have to suffer on). Axel smiled at his brother, who was clearly high on life at that moment.

"Hey Tyki, where's your place? Is it a long walk?"

Tyki shook his head. "No, kid, it's not. We'll take a little shortcut."

Axel nodded and grabbed his brother by the shoulder to bring him in step.

"Come on, Reno, walking time. Pity it's not a long walk - you could do with the fresh air!" Reno nodded, grinning. Tyki began walking, and Axel noted with curiosity that he made almost no sound as he walked, despite sporting a pair of worn brogues. As they wandered, Reno happily chattered.

"So Tyki, what do you do?"

A slight pause passed, before Tyki answered. "Well, mining primarily, but my family has business I am sometimes called in to assist."

"Cool, cool. Where are you from?"

Tyki smiled at the question. "My family have moved all over - there isn't really anywhere I call home, as such." Axel thought he detected a slight note of sadness in Tyki's voice, but he didn't have time to dwell. "Are you boys both from Twilight Town?"

"Naw," Reno answered, "we're from Midgar, but we moved to Twilight Town about two years ago. We were living in Radiant Garden for a while before that." Tyki nodded.

"You like it here?"

"Yeah, it's ok. Axel L.O.V.E.S. it here though, yo." Axel blushed, and punched Reno's arm lightly. Reno swayed as he walked, but didn't topple, much to Axel's amusement. Tyki raised an eyebrow, obviously confused. Reno snickered and pressed boldly on. "Axel finds the views _attractive_." Axel looked daggers at his older brother, who was giggling, until he tripped on a stone in the road, and Axel barked out a laugh.

"Serves you right. Reno is just trying to embarrass me," he offered by way of explanation to Tyki, "and I shouldn't let him do so; it's not like it's that big a deal. I got a boyfriend here."

"Boy being the operative word in that sentence." Axel smacked his older brother's arm, where it was already sore from the previous blow.

"He's just short dammit, don't be cruel just 'cos you're drunk. Anyways, I don't know why you're so smug, at least I'm not the one on the bottom!"

Reno hissed at him, then burst out laughing.

"Like that matters, it's not a masculinity contest. Besides, you wanna compete with _Cloud_ for that? Laugh all you want but he'd top you too and you know it, Spikes. And anyway, we both know it's nice to take turns." There was an uncomfortable silence, and both boys suddenly remembered the third member of their walking party. Reno tried to recover first. "Uh, that is to say-"

Tyki cut him off with a wave.

"Don't worry, shōnen, it's nothing I mind. It is nice to see two brothers so close." He eyed Axel's skyscraping hair, and Axel felt a slight shiver that he couldn't quite explain. "I have to ask. Do you share the same hairdresser, or is that truly natural?" Axel grunted.

"No idea where it comes from. Most of our family of short brunettes, and then here's the two of us with this daft getup. Not that we don't copy each other anyway, half the time." Tyki raised a questioning eyebrow, so Axel tapped his cheek by way of explanation, indicating the small upside-down teardrop-shaped tattoos under his eyes.

"Yeah, but mine are better. AND I GOT MINE FIRST!"

"Only because I held the door open for you, Reno, after you followed me down when I was getting mine done. And you know yours just look like lame-ass sideburns."

"Yeah, whatever, crybaby. And not ALL of our family are short, y'know - you're lucky Uncle Vincent's in Midgar - if he heard you call him short he'd be reaching for the whip." Axel laughed again, and went to walk on when he realised that Tyki had stopped walking, and was looking down an alleyway. He indicated down it.

"Down here - we will pop out right where we want to be."

Reno followed him without thinking, but Axel was a little hesitant - there were no lights in the alley, and it looked utterly , almost thickly black. Tyki walked with a sense of purpose, Reno drunkenly careening behind him. Axel still wasn't entirely sure he could trust Tyki, but he had to admit to himself that this was only because of Cloud's warning earlier - nothing else had made him concerned. Well, save for that odd look earlier. He couldn't avoid needing to look after his nigh catatonic elder sibling, so he turned on his heel and started down after the other two. Looking Reno up and down, he noticed his extendable electro-mag rod was clipped inauspiciously to his belt, and he relaxed slightly.

About halfway down, Axel felt a cold chill overcome him. It wasn't a particularly warm night, but Axel rarely felt any manner of cold - his affinity for fire meant he was more or less insulated against anything below his own body temperature - so this slightly alarmed him, but then again, he realised as he walked, that he'd imbibed quite a lot more alcohol than he'd thought he'd done as he was doing it. By now, there was no light in the alleyway, and Axel could only just make out the outline of Reno, several feet in front of him. Tyki was completely unseen, and unheard, until his voice called out.

"My my, it's dark around here, isn't it? Oh well, we're moving towards the other end now." Axel didn't quite feel reassured, the cold was everywhere now - it was draining him of energy and he was tiring more with each step.

Suddenly, the feeling disappeared, and he was left with a chill deep inside. Something was different, but he couldn't quite put a finger on it. The light was beginning to reappear, and Tyki gradually came into focus, the same distance ahead that he had been since the beginning. He could see the end of the tunnel now, but he wasn't expecting the sight that greeted him at the end of that.

Right where there was supposed to be a high-rise apartment block, where Axel had assumed Tyki lived when they turned town the alley, there stood a hill, and atop this hill, behind some trees, a large house. No, Axel corrected himself, not a house; this was a mansion. Two enormous black gates formed the entrance to the grounds, which swung open as Tyki approached. Axel gaped, hugging his arms around himself against the cold. Clearly, his knowledge of Twilight Town's geography wasn't up to scratch because he couldn't quite orientate himself. Behind him, all he could see was the dark of the alley.

"Well, it's gotten cold. Come on, boys, let's come inside before we catch our death." The cold beat down the alarm bells trying to go off inside his head, Axel struggled towards the open gate, dragging Reno in tow. The older man at the front continued his effortless walk up the hill towards the front door, but Axel found it quite a trudge. He was jolted alert by the deafening clang of the gate behind him closing. He whirled around, but Reno's gasp drew his attention back to his brother.

"Reno?"

"Ax, this place... is huge." He knew what his brother meant. The front door was now open, and a gentle light spilled out. Against his better judgement, Axel allowed Reno to step over the threshold, himself several steps behind.

Just as Tyki had side, inside the mansion was warmer than outside, and Axel relaxed immediately. Once his eyes adjusted to the light, he was stunned still by the sight in front of him.

* * *

The phone rang shrilly next to him. Roxas wiped his mouth, his retching ceasing for now. Oddly, he knew it would be Cloud before he picked up. The caller ID affirmed his guess.

"It's kinda late, Cloud, I'm not really-"

"Did you just throw up?"

Roxas reeled. "How could you _possibly_ know that?"

As Cloud answered, Roxas noticed a gravelly edge to Cloud's voice. "Because I did too. Something's happened, something bad. I can't feel Reno anymore." Roxas stiffened. "Can you feel Axel?" Roxas reached out with his Will and realised with a renewed wave of nausea that he could feel no trace of the redhead's oddly fiery presence. The sense of loss was crushing - Axel was gone. "You can't, can you. Get up. We're going to find them."

* * *

The statue before them was the single most disarmingly lifelike edifice Axel had ever seen. He wasn't entirely sure at first if it was male or female - the figure was tall, slim and well dressed in male Victorian clothing but with a woman's red coat hinging off its shoulders. The utter lack of breasts led Axel to believe it was, in fact, a man, but the almost floor-length shock of pinkish-red hair was confusing. He wore red glasses held on by little chains that had skulls along the length, and his mouth was open in a wide smile, almost as if he were mid-laugh. His teeth were very unusual - they were pointed, almost triangular, and clearly fitted very neatly together. Most disconcerting of all was what he held in his delicately gloved hands - a large red chainsaw, proffered as though it was about to be swept downwards. A noise behind him startled him as Axel hadn't realised Tyki was right there.

"He's beautiful, isn't he. I quite recently acquired him. He's a shinigami - a death god. He was the most unusual one I'd ever seen - the chainsaw is his death scythe that he reaps souls with - it is said that it can cut through any substance. A shinigami also judges the souls they reap. I was intrigued by his... flamboyancy." Axel had to agree - the glasses, the teeth, the hair and the coat all screamed interesting. Tyki coughed slightly. "Anyway. Come with me. It's warmer in the living room - I'll open up the bar."

"Bar!" Reno's voice pulled Axel out of his reverie. "Bar sounds good. Wish I had my own bar. Mebbe I'll get one when me 'n' Cloud get a place, heeheehee."

Tyki gestured to a room on the right of the hall.

"Come then, in here. I'll just go grab some fresh cards - these are starting to get a bit old and worn."

Reno wandered into the living room and Axel heard a 'fwoomp' as he plopped down on an obviously comfortable cushioning surface. Tyki looked at Axel. "If you are still cold, Axel, there is a cabinet behind the big red sofa that has a few blankets in it - they're lambswool, so they should keep you warm." He smiled softly, and Axel's unease vanished completely - he nodded his thanks, and as Tyki moved up the stairs behind, Axel turned his attention to the statue again. He was drawn to a tiny brass plate on the statue's base - he leaned down to read the minuscule writing; it read G.S, and had a date underneath. Axel's brow furrowed - the date was two weeks earlier. Something was trying to tell him there was something wrong with that, but he couldn't work out what it was. Shaking the thought from his head, he headed in the general direction Reno had walked off in.

Reno was sat on the largest sofa Axel had ever seen. It was deep burgundy, leather, and could comfortably seat at least ten people. It curved around a semi-circle, and a round table sat in the middle. The table had a green felt top inside a black leather border - Axel realised with a start it was like a poker coffee table. Who even knew you could get that? Perhaps it was bespoke, he wondered to himself.

The room itself was large, and there was a projection screen against the wall opposite the sofa. A fireplace was dormant against the wall, with paintings taking up the room otherwise. Despite the ample space, Axel's sibling was sprawled across the sofa, taking up much of the seating. Axel kicked his brother's legs out of the way with a practiced swipe, and plonked himself down. He was pleased to feel the slow whoosh of air slowly pressing out of the cushioned seat beneath him.

"Ax, I could get used to this!" Axel snorted at his brother, who had the sense to look affronted. "Hey! Ya never know!"

"Reno, how many security guards do you know live somewhere like this? No way, bro. This is family money."

"Indeed it is." Tyki's voice called from the hallway. Axel looked up sheepishly and made to apologise for his statement, but the sentence died, unspoken, in his throat.

Tyki had completely changed his appearance, but it was unmistakably him. His loose curls had been pulled into a neat high ponytail. His glasses were absent, as was the stubble he'd had earlier. His clothes were painfully different to earlier - a pressed white shirt, stiff black dress trousers and shoes so polished they could be used as mirrors. Axel felt Reno gaping next to him, and forced himself the break the silence.

"Sorry, I didn't mean-"

"It's ok, please don't worry. I take no offence. I am aware of how absurdly ostentatious this house is - it was my brother's until a year or so ago, but he moved. It was his wish to keep it in the family, so I have taken over care of the estate. Very little here is mine, but I do add the odd decorative touch."

Axel nodded. "Like that statue." He couldn't be sure, but Axel thought he saw a faint gleam in Tyki's eye at the mention of his newest acquisition. "What did you say the name of it was?"

"I didn't. Shall we play?" A set of cards arced through the air to land next to Axel's hand on the table, cutting off Axel's thought. Reno sat up gleefully next to him.

"Oh, excellent, now you're talkin', yo!" Tyki smiled, a little too widely, and a shiver ran up Axel's spine.

* * *

The pain had lessened to a dull ache, but still Roxas rubbed his temples irritably, willing the feeling away. He was cold, waiting for Cloud to arrive at the Quester's Rest. Sadly, he realised he'd not been bothered by cold nights for a very long time, as his fiery lover usually heated the air around them so he wouldn't get cold, just as, if ever they wandered out in the dark, Roxas always lit the way. A slight feeling of desperation had overcome his usually omnipresent sense of embarrassment, and he'd already woken Erin up to ask her what had happened. She'd passed on that she'd seen the two leave with the curly-haired man, and told them where he could find Pavo and Trunks to ask if they had any further information. All the while he pressed his Will out constantly, seeking any trace of the pyromaniac and his lightning-oriented elder sibling, but to no avail. Eventually, he'd left Erin to return to sleep, and he stood outside waiting in the cold once more.

Slowly, he became aware of an increasing rush at the back of his mind. The sound was not unlike the sound of a stormy sea from several miles inland. Gradually, Roxas realised the sound was not outwardly audible, and the yellow movement off to his left caught his eye. The sound became louder and louder as Cloud approached, and with a hitch of fear in his throat, the reality that the sound was the gathering of Cloud's Will crashed in on him, and Roxas was suddenly more terrified than he had been. Cloud was **angry**.

"What did you find out, Roxas." The phrase wasn't actually a question, it was an order, and Roxas had to quell his natural indignation - he knew Cloud was as concerned for Reno as Roxas was for Axel.

"They were here until about two hours ago - there was some kinda poker game."

Cloud shook his head impatiently. "I KNOW Roxas, I was there. Tell me something I don't know." With a start, Roxas realised why Cloud was so angry - he'd been there and left, and was now regretting it. "Where did they GO!"

"I don't know, Cloud. Erin said she saw them leave with the guy with glasses, but she didn't know any more than that. She thought maybe the other two would know." Cloud nodded tautly at him.

"Trunks and Pavo. Alright, let's go. I'm assuming Erin told you where to find them." Roxas nodded and turned, not delaying anymore.


	4. Chapter Three

**Warning: Non-con. If you don't like that sort of thing, well, either press on or give up because it comes hand in hand with exposition ;)**

* * *

*_CLICK_*

The camera shutter thunked a few times, and Axel and Reno's cheesy drunken grins were forever immortalised. As Axel had predicted, Reno began to sink deeper and deeper into the sofa as the game waged on, so when Tyki suggested a photo, the older redhead could do little more than grin inanely at the camera from deep within the recesses of the sofa. Tyki put the camera away, and picked up his cards once more. His skill level had markedly improved, confirming Cloud's suspicion that he'd been purposely losing. However, Axel's winnings had not decreased - the only one to suffer had been Reno. Tyki dealt the next hand out, and Axel thumbed through his cards, choosing which cards to change. They both placed bets before he chose two and swapped them, noting Tyki do the same. A moment passed.

"Reno, cards." There was no response. He looked over to see Reno had finally dozed off. He saw Tyki make the same observation, and their eyes met in amusement. Tyki chuckled.

"I see that the mountain finally came to Mohammed." A too-sharp barking laugh escaped Axel's lips, and he noticed how incredibly drunk he too was. "Perhaps, while our third is refreshing himself, you would like to take a tour of my home? There is something that I am eager to show you." He rose from his seat, and indicated to the door behind him, back into the hallway. Axel nodded, and with some concentration, managed to stand and walked over towards the door indicated by his host.

Once in the hallway, Axel looked at the statue once more, and pointed at the plate he had spotted earlier.

"What is GS? Is that the name of the artist?"

He thought he saw Tyki startle, but the older man smiled softly and answered, "No, not at all. It's the name of the subject." Axel frowned at him, urging him on. "Grell Sutcliff. I do think it's an inelegant name for a shinigami, but I didn't choose it. Does it impress you?"

"It does. I've never seen anything so lifelike. It looks like he could walk away while you're watching him." He stopped himself. "It _is_ a him, right? I mean, it's kinda hard to tell..."

Tyki laughed.

"He is. Although, I can understand your confusion It's that fantastic hair, I think. So luscious..." He fondled a lock and Axel was struck by how it shone in the light.

"I don't think the false eyelashes help, Tyki."

"...a very good point, my young friend. I must say though, it was the almost ridiculous femininity that first attracted me, but I cannot say why that would excite me so. Please, come with me, Axel. I have more to show you." He moved behind the statue, and walked through the door beneath the staircase. A light flickered to life inside, and Axel followed him, ducking his hair under the door frame. Beyond the door, a set of stairs descended below. Tyki had already started down the steps, but he was moving slowly, waiting for Axel to adjust to his surroundings. After six flights, the end of the steps appeared and Tyki flicked a light switch on the opposite all. Axel reached the bottom of the steps and fazed out to the room as the lightbulbs burst to life. He stared.

The room was larger than the gym he trained with Roxas in that morning. The floor was stone, as were the walls, and the ceiling reached almost as high as the six flights of stairs they'd just descended. There were no windows, and despite the vastness of the room, there was little echoing of sound. There were several doors off to the side, but the focus of the room was clearly the statues in two lines in the centre of the room.

"Go ahead, look at them." Axel walked towards the statues. The first one he reached was that of a boy of around ten. He had short, red, spiked hair, and thick black lines around his eyes, but they were clearly cosmetic. He wore a long mauve coat which swirled around him, and he carried on an elaborate grey harness an enormous gourd. He bore the stoniest expression Axel had ever seen, and he was reminded of Roxas' gray-haired friend they attended martial arts club with, who usually bore a somewhat similarly serious expression, but his mind was sluggish and the name failed to come to him. The same plaque as was on Grell's base was on the base of this statue, and it read 'G.o.t.S.'. The date underneath was just under a year previous.

The next statue was much, much larger - it was a tall man, mid combat stance. he wore a stark black kimono with the right shoulder unworn, and hanging limply from the belt at his waist. His crimson hair was tied back into a pointed ponytail, and he wore a plain white headband that kept stray locks from his brow. The arm which was unclothed held out an unusual blade - it was segmented, with pick-like protrusions where the segments met. most distinctive of all were his tattoos - black lines on his chest, abdomen, arms and forehead poking out from under the headband. Axel reached out to move the headband so as to better see the tattoos, but thought better of it and stopped. The plaque on the base read 'R.A.' and a date not long after the previous statue's.

Axel said nothing as he walked towards the next statue, lost in thought. Tyki walked several steps behind him, silently reading the boy's expression. The next statue was another boy, perhaps 16 years old, with a pair of goggles perched on his hairline, holding back spiked hair. His eyes were enormous and yellow, and his gloved hands held a robotic device of some sort, his black leather coat reflecting the lights from above. The plaque read 'J.S.', and the date was some weeks later.

Axel passed eight more with a growing sense of dread, until he came to the final one - and he gasped as his saw it, panic setting in. It was Asch, General of the Radiant Knights, and Axel's debtor to the tune of 200 munny. He was decked out in the full black garb of his station, and he held an ornate black sword out behind him, with the first two fingers on his opposite hand raised in front of him at arm's length. As if in a trance, Axel walked towards him, and when he neared him, he reached out his arm to touch the long-haired man. He put a finger to the skin on his temple, and was shocked to see it was warm to the touch, and felt horribly _real_. He pulled away, and a bead of sweat trickled down Asch's forehead. Trying to comprehend what was happening, Tyki's voice sang behind him.

"Ah, I did wonder if that might happen. It would seem you have a higher-set body temperature, Red. You may have to go to a different room, otherwise this lot are going to dry out. Perhaps... my bedroom? It is unadorned at present..."

Axel whirled to face him. "What - what do you mean?"

"You mean you still haven't worked it out yet? I'll give you a clue - I always love the look that you are going to get when the concept hits you." He stood next to the second statue that Axel had passed, and rifled his hand through the figure's hair; the act was almost loving, caring. "What is it that all of these have in common? A monster, a shinigami, a Soul Reaper, a genius... upstairs there is an an Exorcist and even a gun-toting journalist. Oh gosh, it did take darling Renji here so long to work it out, but then he did only have one other here for comparison... Jack, over there, worked it out the moment he got to the bottom of the stairs, as did Kenshin... most of the rest passed out drunk upstairs before I managed to bring them down here, much as your dear darling sibling has done." Axel thought furiously, his mind struggling against the alcohol and... something else. There must have been something in his drink because even now, he could feel blackness encroaching the edge of his vision. All ages. All male. A tiny voice was screaming from somewhere inside him that he was missing something obscenely obvious, but he couldn't work it out. As if to hint further, Tyki's eyeline briefly raised to the top of Axel's head, and like a cold shock, the meaning became terrifyingly clear. His eyes widened, and Tyki's look turned triumphant.

"Aaaaah, there it is, kid. You know, I sat there for an hour admiring your brother, thinking how lucky I was. I worried when he said he was calling his brother to come play, in case it derailed what I had planned, but I could hardly believe my luck when you walked in behind him. I thought all of my darkest prayers had been answered - that I had died and gone to heaven. Two? In one night? I could never have dreamed of such a treat."

The words filtered through and the panic centres in Axel's mind finally, begrudgingly, came to life, but he was taken aback when Tyki was suddenly right in front of him, far too close. Too late, Axel realised why he had been so cold - his body temperature had dropped because he had ceased to be able to gather his Will. Futilely, his frenzied mind tried to draw power, but there was nothing - what was going on? Tyki smirked, and thrust his hand towards Axel's chest.

The sensation was sickly, and Axel looked down, shocked eyes wide. All he could see was Tyki's arm above the elbow, jutting out from the centre of his chest. There was no pain, but ever cell in the area was roaring in defiance of the sensation-free invader.

"What..."

"I am merely showing you why it is that you cannot possibly hope to resist me, boy. If I were to wish it, I could choose to rip your heart out and leave the rest intact, but you are of far more use to me with it beating." Suddenly, the strangely paralyzing feeling disappeared as Tyki removed his arm, and Axel's legs gave way beneath him.

"What are you... going to do with me?"

"I'm going to add two new statues to my collection. Eventually..." A dangerous flash appeared in his eyes, but his hand touched Axel's cheek gently. "Don't worry, my dear." Then, his lips were on Axel's, softly, gently. Axel stiffened, and tried to back away, but immediately Tyki followed him, until he was up against Asch's statue, pinned. The kiss, in contrast, was careful, delicate, almost considerate. A flick of his tongue sought entrance to the younger boy's mouth, but Axel clamped his jaw shut in defiance. He felt the older man chuckle through the kiss.

"Oh dear, I don't think that'll make any difference, little one."

Axel felt his hands pinned above his head so firmly he felt the circulation cut off, but still Tyki's kiss remained as light, fluttering brushes. He could still feel Tyki smiling through his kiss as his tongue danced over Axel's lips, and Axel struggled slightly.

Tyki's free hand moved to Axel's thigh, and pressed through the material to rub Axel's traitorously-stirring arousal. Axel opened his mouth to protest, but Tyki took the anticipated opportunity to capture Axel's lips once again, this time exploring Axel's mouth with his tongue. Angry at his body for betraying him and finding pleasure in the sensations forced upon it, Axel bit down angrily on the invading muscle, but his teeth met each other with no resistance. The hand on his sex disappeared, and Tyki slapped him sharply across the face.

"Listen, shōnen. Do you see all of these gentlemen standing over you? Each of them was highly respected in their world for their strength, agility, intelligence... well, most. And none could even put up a fight, although Cross did rather well." Axel blinked up at him, confusedly - none of the statues had the initial C on their brass plates. "You're astute. He isn't here - he's upstairs on the mezzanine level overlooking the hall." His grip on Axel's wrists tightened, and Axel shrank back slightly - clearly, the memory stirred anger within his captor. "Then again, perhaps I had acted in haste. I have not had the same problems since. You should be flattered, you know. I don't do this for just everyone. Your brother is a little rough around the edges, but you... you are truly exquisite." The hand he'd just struck Axel with touched the stinging skin, and his thumb stopped over what Axel knew was one of his facial tattoos. "Although, why you'd choose to mar yourself with these, I really don't know. They have a certain... attraction... I will admit..." He stood up from standing over Axel, and for a fleeting, wildly optimistic moment Axel thought he was done, but then Tyki threaded his fingers through the redhead's spikes and pulled sharply, yanking the boy's head towards him. Axel screamed a protest, but Tyki ignored him and dragged him to a previously unnoticed workbench in the corner. Axel looked up above the wall the bench sat against - photographs fluttered as the force of Tyki slamming him onto the bench moved the air back. Axel could see, blurrily, every single one was of a figure on the couch upstairs. All of the figures had red hair, and could only be the statues standing before him.

Tyki pulled Axel to standing and leaned him backwards over the workbench-cum-desk, put a knee between Axel's thighs and forcible separated the weakly-struggling boy's legs, and moved himself forward to grind into the youth's hips. He held Axel's neck with his left hand and his right moved to the buttons on Axel's shirt, pulling them carefully open. Agonisingly slowly, he trailed a finger over Axel's chest, calmly passing the very tips of his fingers through the material of the soft black vest to brush the hardened bud underneath. Axel gasped, and renewed his efforts to escape, but the foggy cloud that was rapidly descending on his consciousness weakened him. The sharp pain in his neck snapped his attention -Tyki had bitten him in the curve of his neck, and the wet tingle told him that the skin had been broken. Disarmingly gently, Tyki sucked the damaged skin and a hiss escaped Axel's lips. He felt the edge of Tyki's lips turn upwards to a smile, and he pulled himself away to tower over the prone redhead.

"You look quite beautiful like that, lovely."

_"__You__look__quite__beautiful__like__that,__Roxas.__"_

The memory rose, unbidden, in front of his eyes, and Axel's vision swam. The stark contrast between his earlier lovemaking with Roxas and this powerless violation was so enormous he could scarcely believe it. He was angriest at his own inability to put up a fight, and he was ashamed at how cocky he usually was - he was used to feeling like he was powerful enough to do anything, but without his Will he was clearly able to do nothing. Without much ado, Tyki divested him of his jeans and pulled up his shirt, and gasped gleefully.

"What _is_ that, poor dear." He pushed a finger into Axel's side, igniting a stabbing pain in Axel's abdomen over where he'd been hurt earlier that day. Involuntarily, Axel cried out and almost leapt off the table. Tyki pressed his hands through the skin, and the sick feeling returned. Somehow, he knew that the older man was probing, assessing damage. Seemingly satisfied, he removed his fingers and stroked the newly-formed scar. "Interesting... the damage inside seems fairly recent, but the outside is healed far beyond... who did this to you, my sweet?" He bent his head, and licked at the wound, and Axel lost his temper. He broke his hands free, and pushed Tyki away, but a well-timed nudge again to the same wound site gave Tyki the advantage, and Axel found his arms pinned above his head once more - he heard a sharp buzzing noise, and pressure on his wrists forced him to look up to see Tyki take a tie-wrap from a pile in the corner of the workbench and loop it through the one he'd just looked Axel's wrists with, and affix it to a bar on a shelf above the desk.

"...that's quite enough of that. I'll have to remember to start with this later. Although, I get the sense your doppelganger won't put up _quite_ as much resistance..."

Reno! Reno was still upstairs. If only he could reach out, he could wake him... Feebly, Axel tried to draw in his Will, but what was usually a roaring flame was barely the tiniest spark, not enough to arouse an insomniac. He could feel so little response from the plane around him that he actually felt frightened and lost - in fact, he was pretty sure his own latent internal Will had bled out into the vacuous surrounds. Axel ceased struggling, and Tyki smiled at the realisation he believed the younger had finally come to.

"Much better." Tyki pulled Axel's underwear down with a swift tug, and moved closer to Axel once again, now with both hands available to wander. "I think your lover much count themselves rather lucky." There was a dangerous gleam in his eyes, so much so that they were almost golden. He pulled the cravat from around his neck, and although it could have been the light, Axel thought his skin looked almost grey. Axel shut his own eyes to block out the sight. As such, he was taken by surprise when he felt what could only be the delicious sensation of Tyki's mouth around his sex, which jolted at the attention. He desperately tried to think of his blond lover, to remove himself from the situation, but even the dullest, most primal part of his mind couldn't ignore just how much more skilled Tyki was than Roxas. Consequently, the heat was already building in the lower reaches of his stomach, and despite the situation, Axel tried to maintain some semblance of pride, but the low moan that escaped his lips said otherwise. Tyki added a hand to grip the base of Axel's shaft, and his ministrations increased in their intensity, sending Axel's sense of self-control spiralling, and he came with a groan, his head thrown back in shameful pleasure. Tyki's finger reached to his cheek, and his thumb rubbed away the tiny stream of tears from Axel's left cheek. Unseen to the redhead, Tyki dabbed at the corner of his mouth, and licked the tiny leaked substance of his finger.

A finger around his entrance snapped Axel back to reality. He clenched himself and shook his head thickly.

"Do-don't..."

"Oh, poor sweetheart. Don't be selfish now." The finger was far cooler than Axel's skin, and so he shivered. It was already slick with something, and it gently gained entry, quickly joined by its nearest neighbour, drawing a sharp hiss from the boy. There was a flutter and a clink as Tyki curled his fingers inside the panting redhead, and after a minute more of careful stretching, the fingers left him and he felt the very tip of Tyki's wet organ pressed to him.

"You feel so hot, shōnen. I..." He pushed himself against Axel, pressing himself into Axel's entrance, relishing the resistance he felt until Axel's muscles accepted him, and he was fully sheathed inside his captive. Waves of pleasure rippled through Tyki as the fiery boy's warm body - far hotter than a normal human's - enclosed him. He growled primally, and began to move slowly into Axel, who grunted a hoarse cry, biting his lip.

The sensations in Axel burned themselves into his memory as the older man picked up the pace of his moments, by now pumping with a fervour that Axel was unwarranted given the situation, but he was aware that his body temperature made being inside himself a somewhat unique experience. Suddenly, the pain stopped as Tyki pulled out, and Axel flung his eyes open to see Tyki had disappeared from his vision. A grunt rose from the floor and was followed by a loud crack, and Axel raised his head to see beyond his exposed extremities. A shift of movement near the statues instantly told him what had happened.

Reno stood leaning against Asch's statue with his weapon casually resting on his shoulder. The tip sparkled briefly, and Axel visibly relaxed.

"Jeez, I fall asleep for ten minutes and look what fucking happens." He leaned forward and began to walk to Axel. He passed the prone form of Tyki on the floor, lightning coursing over the darker man's skin. "If you were a dog, you'd be castrated, you sick fuck." He absently struck with his mag rod, forcing a ragged cry from Tyki's, replaced the weapon at his waist, and then moved to his brother, pulling up his pants to give him some form of dignity, and moved to removed Axel's binding, but the tie-wraps proved difficult, and so Reno bent his head to rummage in the drawer for a sharp edge. "Ax... I... oh god, this is just like Isa-" he stopped himself, but Axel caught the meaning and shuddered. Reno mentally berated himself, and pressed on urgently. "Are you hurt?" Axel nodded gently, but he was urging Reno to hurry and free him. Reno's fingers closed around a Stanley knife, which he pulled from the drawer triumphantly. Axel gave him a weak smile. Reno leaned over him, and looked down at him with a slight smirk, but the look didn't reach his eyes, where concern was painted. However, it didn't last long.

Reno's eyes widened suddenly, and he froze where he stood, leaning over Axel, ceasing to fumble with Axel's bindings. A dark hand appeared through the material of his shirt, and Axel saw Tyki's head rise to appear above his older brother's shoulder.

"It is most rude to interrupt. I thought you were comatose, but I misjudged you." His hand reached down and touched his free fingers to the weapon at Reno's side. "This is very elegant. That little shock would have disabled anyone else, I should think. He pulled the mag rod from Reno's belt and flung it across the floor. It flew across the room and came to rest against the first boy's statue with a loud clatter. "You will not be given the opportunity to do so again. You missed half of the fun while you were sleeping, precious. If you'd been here you'd know that you can do nothing to stop me - your little electric display was cute, but ultimately ineffective." He stepped through Reno so that the two were occupying almost the exact same space. Axel saw his older brother's eyes almost pop out of his head, and he pulled against his bonds.

When Tyki spoke again, there was a frightening lilt to his voice. His smirk was audible. "I wonder... you've probably never seen your darling little brother like this, have you?" He licked the corner of Reno's neck, and grinned at the lack of a reaction as Reno could not move. "It is quite a sight, is it not? Oh, if only you could feel it - he's so **hot**... it's simply divine." Reno's jaw clenched, but he could make no other movement. Axel was red with shame.

Without warning, Tyki pushed his erection through Reno's seemingly-incorporeal body and brutally entered Axel, who let loose an agonised scream. He began to pump into the boy, moaning as he did. Reno was horrified - Tyki had not fully passed through him, only his member, and from where he stood, unable to move or even close his eyes and shut out the sight in front of him, it looked to all intents and purposes like HE was fucking Axel, and he knew that's what it looked like to his brother, too - he was powerless to stop the now grey-skinned man. Mercifully, Axel shut his eyes firmly, bit down on his lip and refused to give Tyki the satisfaction of making any noise.

This served only to cause Tyki to become more frenzied, and he snarled ferally, slamming into Axel again and again. Before long, his rhythm became erratic. "Oh gods, it's so _**hot**_..." He came hard inside the redhead with one long thrust, and took immense pleasure at the vague stirring he could feel from the body he stood in. As his orgasm ebbed, he relaxed and took a moment to gather his strength agin. He stepped backwards so he was no longer holding Reno in place, purposely fluttering his hand along the older boy's betraying arousal as he did so, smirking all the while. Before Reno had a chance to move, however, Tyki struck him over the back of his skull, and the redhead crumpled to the floor. His goggles fell from atop his brow and his ponytail curled in around his neck. Tyki ignored him, and turned his attention to the prone boy on the desk. He touched a hand to Axel's cheek, and drew the tips of his fingers across Axel's lips, relishing the tremble that appeared beneath him.

"Oh, my dear. Why do you tremble so? I'm sated now, you have no need to fear anything more from me." He glanced briefly below Axel's waist. "I need to get you cleaned up, lovely., so you'll have to wait just a moment." He disappeared off to the side, and Axel heard a gushing of water. He felt a cloth rubbing around his still spread legs, the touch soft and methodical. Tyki wiped up all of his essence from the still-shaking boy, and then pulled both Axel's underwear and jeans back up. Last of all, he took the Stanley knife Reno had dropped on the desk and cut through the tie-wraps, freeing Axel's arms completely, but he grabbed Axel's wrists before they were lowered.

"Be careful. Move them slowly or you'll hurt your shoulders." He guided the now free arms slowly to rest on Axel's abdomen, then reached around to support Axel's torso, raising him to sitting. Tyki then turned and leaned backwards against the desk, his arm still around Axel's shoulders. "Well, kid, best we get you some rest, huh?"

Axel nodded mutely, his sense of reality thrown out of order. At the edge of his awareness, he heard Tyki cry his name anxiously, but for his part, he simply accepted the encroaching darkness.

* * *

**I am somewhat obsessed with doors under/besides staircases. I think it's because of that scene in Batman Forever where Chris O'Donnell has to do the most ridiculous acrobatic trick to get through Alfred's entrance to the batcave ;) Also, it would appear that no-one I write that's doing the nasty lasts longer than minute once they're hard. LAZY WRITING OTL**


	5. Chapter Four

Visiting Trunks and Pavo had only served to frustrate them more - rousing the couple and demanding more information had yielded no serviceable leads, save for Trunks vaguely recalling that when they heard the other three leave somewhat after they did, they had headed down West Street as opposed to East Avenue, which led towards Pavo's condo. Once more, Cloud and Roxas stood in front of the Quester's Rest. After a few minutes of agonising silence, Cloud barked a loud yelp and slapped the palm of his hand to his face, which was screwed up into an angry expression.

"Oh GODS, I'm so stupid! How could I not have thought of this before now? How much time have I wasted? Graaah!"

Roxas grabbed his arm and said, "Then don't waste any more. What could we do?"

"We can locate them, of course. Argh, it's so basic, I'd forgotten. Come, stand in front of me." Following Cloud's lead, Roxas stood in front of him. Cloud held up his hand, and invited Roxas to do the same. They pushed their palms together, and interlaced their fingers. Cloud shut his eyes, and when he spoke, his voice was forced calm, and very soft.

"Roxas. Close your eyes." The younger blond did so. "I need you to think about Axel. Not just think about him, but **feel** him. Reach into the place in your heart where he lives within you, and put him in front of your mind's eye." Roxas summoned his most favourite memory of Axel - of the time when they climbed up the clock tower at the top of the station in the town, and Axel had told him he was a Speaker. To soften the blow, Axel had brought them both ice creams and they had kissed only for the second time, afterwards. An enormous dull ache brought itself to the forefront of his mind, and he tried to quash it, but Cloud's voice steeled his nerve. "I know it hurts, Roxas, but just hold that thought. The pain is because there's a void - but you know what should be filling it. Focus on that, and project it with your Will." Roxas felt the cool whooshing sensation of Cloud's immense strength of Will being brought to bear, and he gathered his also. He peeked one eye open, and saw Cloud doing the same. Spurred on by each other, they opened their eyes and looked at the space between them. A glowing ball of smoke had appeared in the air, level with their outstretched, connected arms. It was red, and looked like a cloud in a thunderstorm - lights flashed inside it. It swelled and turned slowly, and eventually began to rise. Although Cloud's lips didn't move, his voice rang out inside Roxas.

"Now!" Together, they cried a Word to release their Will, and neither were surprised by the choice of words Spoken.

"Axel!"

"Reno!"

As if it were a dog let suddenly off the leash, the cloud of smoke rose into the air, and took off down West Street. After a slightly shocked pause, the two blonds raced after it, Cloud adjusting the enormous buster sword on his back as he ran. The cloud rushed forward without hesitation and disappeared around a corner. Cloud and Roxas followed around the corner, and the next, and the next, before they found themselves colliding with the smoke cloud, which hovered in the air in front of them. The alley beyond was totally black, and so dark that neither could see beyond a few feet.

* * *

After catching the younger Valentine brother as he passed out, Tyki wasted no time assessing what was wrong with him, and concluded after a few minutes of careful probing that he had passed out from the stress of the night. The Noah wanted to laugh to himself, to let the darker side of himself show, but instead, he felt only emptiness - the peculiar growing emptiness that he had been trying to escape for the last year. He went through his own well practiced motions, and took great care in stripping both boys down and bathing them from head to toe one at a time. Once clean, he dried and redressed them both and laid them out flat on the large workbench he had used just a few short hours ago to violate Axel, and attended first to their wounds, then spent a long time brushing out their hair. Axel's hair surprised him, as he had assumed its sky-pointing style was the result of copious amounts of hair product, but after it dried, it gradually sprang into soft spikes. He was utterly fascinated by Reno's hair, and took great pleasure in brushing through the long crimson locks, much as he had done with Grell and some of the others.

When both boys were cleaned thoroughly, he carried them both to the lone cell alongside the underground gallery, and lay Reno sitting on the sole bench in the room, draping Axel carefully across his older brother, before walking out.

He could do it now. He could plunge a hand into their skulls, and touch that tiny fold of purple flesh that would still them both, still seeing but unmoving, ever awake, make them his to manoeuvre and shape and mould forever. However... First, he was simply exhausted, and he needed to sleep. Instead of heading for the dust-laden bed in the master bedroom, however, Tyki donned a greatcoat, and, turning lights off in his wake, he walked out of the door.

He was so focused on where he was going that he almost surprised himself when he actually got there - arriving within the enormous tower, he quickly sought the correct floor and passage that brought him to the room he required, and was both delighted and saddened to find it devoid of life. Picking his way across the cluttered floor, being careful to avoid the sea of books that covered every square inch, he reached the empty single bed, and lay down. The scent of the room's usual occupant filled his nostrils, and he sighed happily, pulling the covers over himself, and Tyki slept soundly for the first time in several days.

* * *

Wherever he was, he'd never been this cold in his entire life - it was freezing all the way down to his bones and right through to his soul. Axel woke to find himself cradled in his brother's lap. Reno's arms were wrapped protectively around Axel's shoulders and chest, but his head was tipped back against the wall, and he let out a soft snore and shifted slightly. Axel opened his eyes fully to take in his condition - he was almost fully dressed but his shirt was not tied, and a hand run through his hair told him he'd been bathed. He looked up and realised Reno had also been washed, his hair carefully straightened and a small wound on his cheek had been stitched with some level of skill. His goggles were absent from their usual place of residence underneath his hairline, however, and he looked like he'd been crying in his sleep. This startled Axel as, despite how much of a hothead Reno was, he'd never seen him shed so much as a single tear, not even when their mother had died.

The room they occupied was small and sparse, with one single bare lightbulb inadequately illuminating the single bench the two boys lay on, and the once-cream porcelain stool in the far corner. A single door with a grill indicated that it was, indeed, some manner of holding cell. A snort followed by a gasp snapped his attention back to Reno, who had jerked awake.

"What was _that_..." Axel looked up at him, and shifted his weight in an attempt to sit up. Reno's eyes widened as he became aware of his surroundings, and he tightened his grip to stop Axel short. "No, Axel, don't - you could be sore if you sit-" He trailed off and reddened as his words reached Axel and the younger's face fell as the memory slammed back into him with full force. A flash of images seared into his mind's eye - the statues, Tyki's grey skin - but without a doubt, the image of Reno standing over him and Tyki fucked him _through_ his brother made Axel shudder. Reno clearly was thinking along the same lines, because he looked away, but his hands tightened into fists.

"Ax, I'm so sorry..."

"Reno, it's ok, I... the worst thing was you being there. You - you shouldn't have seen that." A thought occurred to him, and he shut his eyes tightly. "Oh gods, Roxas..." Reno bent and grabbed his cheeks and tilted his face upwards so they were a few inches from each other, eye to eye.

"Axel, don't - don't worry about that. You haven't." Axel blinked. "You were **raped**, Axel. The only thing Roxas is going to think is how much he is going to want to kill that grey-skinned bastard, and he's gonna have to stand in line because I am going to fucking destroy him."

Axel shook his head, sadly. "Didn't you see those statues, Reno? All of those guys were the kind of guys who take out armies for breakfast, and they couldn't even run away... Hell, that guy in the hall upstairs is a friggin' death god and HE got caught. Asch, Reno, you saw he had Asch!"

"Hang on, that was a guy upstairs?Argh, never mind that. Yeah, I saw Asch's statue. So - where are they all?"

"They ARE the statues. I touched one - it was definitely alive, it was sweating. When I noticed it - that's when he..."

Reno cut Axel off. "Ax, we haven't got time to dwell on it. We gotta get outta here. What he did to you was disgusting, but imagine what he'd do if he made us into living statues."

Axel nodded and cleared his throat. "So what do we do?"

"...pray for a miracle?"

* * *

As if controlled by marionette strings, Roxas tentatively moved towards the blackness of the alley, and stretched out his arms towards the wall of darkness. Cloud made a sound as if to stop him, but Roxas silenced him with a furious glare. The other stifled his warning, but put a hand on the hilt of his sword, readying himself.

The younger blond's eyes narrowed as he reached out until the wall rippled at his touch, and his fingertips disappeared. Cloud tersely called his name, but he responded quickly,

"It's ok. It's - it's still there, just really cold. I think it's some kind of fog."

"Roxas, you don't know what it is, but - are you so sure?"

"I can still feel my fingers, so... what else could it be?" As if to answer him, out of the darkness emerged first an arm, then a full body, very slowly, giving Roxas time to jump back. A grinding clink to his right told him Cloud had drawn his sword. The figure who emerged, however, made both of them stop and stare.

The boy was no more than 16, and had the strangest appearance Roxas had ever seen - his shock of white hair framed a face that was marred by an ugly red tattoo over his left eye which was topped off by an angry-looking pentacle. His features were feminine, and his jaw was set with determination. His eyes appeared far older than his body did. He wore a black button frock coat with red embroidered detailing, and a shining silver cross on his left breast. Before any of the three could speak, however, another figure exited the shadow directly in front of Cloud. It was another boy, this time a few years older. He wore the same clothing, but everything about his appearance couldn't have been more different - his stance was far less tense, and underneath his bright red hair, an eyepatch over his right eye poked out. He had a smile on his face, and he managed to speak first.

"Ne Allen, not sure the welcoming committee is out to help us here." He stared Cloud down, and at the boy's utter lack of intimidation, Cloud lowered his sword, but kept a tight grip on the oversized handle.

Not allowing the first boy to answer, Cloud asked, "Where are Axel and Reno?"

Without batting an eyelid, the red-haired boy answered lazily, "Lemme guess. Friends of yours? Gone missing?" Roxas stepped towards him, but the white-haired boy who had to be called Allen interrupted his potential answer.

"How long have they been missing?"

"A few hours."

The other two exchanged a glance, and Allen spoke quickly.

"Lavi, go ahead. We'll catch up." With a quick nod, the redhead turned and walked back through the black wall. Allen turned to the two blonds, a serious but friendly smile to his face. "I'll need some information, then. We need to find your friends, and I think you can help us. Tell me, did either Reno or Axel have red hair?" Roxas' jaw dropped.

"How could you _possibly_ know that?" Allen's face turned triumphant, and he turned his body to beckon Cloud and Roxas to follow him.

"Follow me, then, time is of the essence. I shall explain everything as we walk. My name is Allen, my companion who has gone ahead is Lavi. We're trying to chase the person whom we suspect has taken your friends. We have been hunting them for a long time - almost a year." He turned and walked back through the black wall. Cloud looked to Roxas and moved towards the wall to follow the strange boy.

"Trust them?" Cloud asked.

"Yes."

"Me too. Let's go." They both stepped through the wall, and were struck by how cold it was. A slightly sick feeling overcame them both, and they leaned closer together. Three steps later, they stepped out into another street, but everything about it felt alien - there were many white houses in a neat row, each of their doors opened and in some, the handles had been yanked out roughly. The sky was a dark purple, with a crescent moon shining in the sky. In the distance, there was an enormous house on a hill. A sound to their right alerted them to why Lavi had gone on ahead - he was bent over the open panel of a large quadrupedal robotic device, whose camera-like eye was looking balefully at him. In frustration, he kicked the robot, and screamed at him.

"Godammit Komurin, can't you work? What has that idiot Komui made you for? Baka!" He raised his arm, and an enormous black hammer with a hugely oversized head materialised as if from nowhere. The movement was too fast for either blond to react, but they heard Allen cry out,

"LAVI!" There was a blur of motion, and when the scene came into focus, Allen stood behind Lavi, and held his hammer. Roxas' jaw dropped as he followed his line of sight to _how_ Allen had restrained the redhead - Allen's hand had transformed to lengthen the individual fingers until they were several feet long, and his palm was also elongated. When he spoke, his voice was firm.

"Lavi. We need Komurin - why don't you ask Komui-san why he refuses to operate?"

Lavi sighed, and Allen relaxed his grip, allowing the hammer to fall. Roxas watched, fascinated, as Allen's hand returned to its normal form with a green flash of light, and Lavi's hammer shrank until it was small enough to fit in the palm of his hand, wherein he returned it to a bespoke clip below his belt. His hand now free, he pushed a finger to his ear, to a gold earring Roxas had noticed earlier. "Komui, your stupid Komurin is not working and we're running out of time - they've struck again."

There was a brief pause, but then with a burst of static, an older voice echoed around the walls surrounding them. "Lavi! What are you trying to say about my precious Komurin IX?"

"That it wasn't as good as VII or VIII."

Allen sniggered at this remark, and eyed Cloud as he said to Lavi quietly, "I've never been able to decide whether VII or VIII is better."

Lavi sniffed at him. "VII. No arguments. Komui, why won't this fucking thing work?"

The voice crackled again.

"Have you told it who to find?"

"I said a Noah, godammit, we know it can only be one, why can't-"

Cloud interrupted him. "The person who took them called himself Tyki Mikk." Both Allen and Lavi turned to face Cloud with stunned eyes. The voice on the other end of Lavi's communication device spoke again.

"That would explain Komurin's inability to locate him. If Tyki Mikk is behind this, then you are treading on dangerous ground - he won't be found if he doesn't wish to be, you know that. He could move through a storm without even the rain knowing he was there. Allen, Lavi, you must come home and wait for us to send out a General to help you - you have both failed on a number of occasions to defeat this Noah, he is too dangerous. Return Home immediately." Roxas looked to Lavi, and knew in an instant that the boy was in no way intending to follow what was clearly an order from his superior.

It was Allen, who spoke up first.

"Shitsuchou... I understand what you're saying but time is of the essence. Two brothers have been taken now, and it was because of them we now know it was Tyki Mikk. The only general who could even hope to stand a chance with him is the very reason we're here, Komui -" -a strangled noise was heard from the receiver- "-you should know that. If my Master stood no chance..." he trailed off.

When Komui spoke again, his voice was oddly quiet and taught with emotion. "There is truth in your words, Allen-kun, truly, you are Cross' apprentice. Go, then, but be careful. I will send reinforcements. Hey - stop it, I'm doing the talking! Lena-gaaah!"

There was a scuffling sound, then a girl's voice rang out, clear and fierce. "Allen-kun! We're coming! Be safe!" Lavi removed the device from his ear and handed it to Allen.

"You deal with them. I can hear Yuu-chan's stomping getting nearer from here."

Sure enough, seconds later, a loud male voice erupted from the device.

"Ne, MOYASHI! What did you think you were doing going off without me this time? Taking that baka usagi with you, what were you thinking. Tyki Mikk almost KILLED you twice, moyashi!" Roxas and Cloud stared at Allen, wide-eyed, who calmly answered the insistent voice.

"Kanda. If you are so concerned, then hurry up and mobilise yourselves. We are not waiting for you; we do not have time." He pushed a small button at the back of the receiver, and its light dulled. "Lavi. We have to find the Noah. Do you think you can get Komurin to do it now?" Lavi nodded, and stood in front of Komurin, fiddling with a control panel. Roxas had a question.

"Where are we?"

"Now is _not_ the time -" Lavi retorted, but Allen cut him off.

"Don't be so quick to judge, Lavi, you would be furious if anyone did that to you." He smiled at Roxas. "We are on board the Ark, a transdimensional teleportation device. It exists outside of space as we understand it, and it can be both everywhere and nowhere at once. It was created by an evil being, the Millennium Earl, as part of a bid to destroy our world. Lavi and I have sworn an oath to fight his forces and stop him. Just over a year ago we had a great victory against him, and as such he has been quiet, but we know he is not dead. He is served by a 'family' of sorts - the Noah clan. Tyki Mikk, whom we assume has taken your friends, is one of those, and as such has special powers granted to him. What you heard a moment ago is not wrong - Tyki is extremely dangerous because nothing can touch him - he can choose to touch or reject anything, even the air around him. As such, we have been unable to defeat him. The Ark you are in we recovered from the Earl, but we had reason to believe that someone was still using it, even though the only one who can now control it is me."

"...your world?" Cloud asked.

Lavi narrowed his eyes at him, and Allen widened his.

"Yes. We thought initially that the Ark could take us only to locations in our own world, but it was discovered that it has the capabilities to reach others, too - like yours."

"When you say 'it was discovered'..."

Allen and Lavi exchanged glances, and Allen explained. "A few weeks after our great battle, my Master, General Cross, went missing. He is a very powerful individual, and although he likes not to be found, he can usually be followed by a fairly... unique trail. He tends to, um, leave an impression in his wake. But there was nothing - no trace, so we started to worry. Then one day, a boy popped out of the Ark gate, right into our Headquarters. He was terrified, but he told us a story about a friend of his who had disappeared - another boy called Gaara, who'd been taken by a figure in the night. This boy said he'd only seen a shadow, but he stated that if Gaara had been overpowered, then the person who took him must have been a demon. At that point, we started listening, because the soldiers of the Earl are called akuma, which is our word for demon. He described Gaara - a short boy with green eyes and red hair. He showed us how he had come through the Ark, and we sent him home, and promised to seek his friend. So... we started looking in the Ark."

Lavi took over the story. "We got another break a few months later - we had been searching the doors and the worlds they led to (and parts of our own world) one by one, and discovered a strange world where there are those whose job it is to guide spirits to the afterlife. There, we met with another missing redhead - a Soul Reaper named Renji Abarai. The Reaper who told us he was missing was furious - they were close friends. We knew now the connection had to be something to do with red hair - General Cross has red hair too. Until we met you tonight, though, we had only guessed it could be one of the Noah." He trailed off, as Cloud looked lost in thought.

Realisation was just dawning in the tall blond's eyes, and to confirm, he said to Roxas, "Then, if Axel and Reno left our world..."

"That's why we couldn't feel them any more!" Roxas cried. Allen looked between the two blonds, his expression quizzical. Roxas defaulted to Cloud, who nodded and spoke.

"Axel, Reno, Roxas and I are... connected by a force that allows us to manipulate the world around us. We knew Axel and Reno had disappeared because we could feel it - or rather, we couldn't feel it. But it makes sense now - if they left our world and travelled through this Ark, we were no longer connected to them - there was only the tiniest trace of their presence, and even that was fading..." He beckoned to Roxas, and held out his hands in much the same way as earlier. Roxas stood in front of him, and they rapidly repeated the earlier reaching out. The smoke cloud instantly jumped to life and crackled with lightning. A barely audible gasp to Cloud's left showed that Allen was watching with wonder. Lavi, however, was observing with evident concentration on his suddenly serious face. Far faster than previously, the smoke cloud lifted into the air and shot off the street towards the enormous house on the hill. Roxas and Cloud took off running behind the cloud, and Allen and Lavi followed speedily behind. Komurin looked sadly after them, before settling itself down on the ground much as a puppy would, and seemed to switch off.

The smoke cloud hurtled down streets, sometimes hesitating, sometimes going back on itself, before it eventually turned down an alley that was almost unnoticeable. It was now close to the mansion on the hill. Suddenly, it disappeared, and the four chasing it almost careened into what stood in the middle of the alley - a most unusual door. It was heart-shaped, and had a row of seven crosses stretching across its widest part. The door was purple with red and gold details, and one side was open.

Lavi stepped past the other three, touched the closed door, and said, "Ne, Allen, doesn't this look an awful lot like...?"

"It is the exact same. This door was made by Road Kamelot." Allen saw the confused faces opposite him, and elaborated. "Road Kamelot is another of the Noah clan. Although human, they each have superhuman powers - Road's is to travel between dimensions, and even create them." Lavi made a fist and struck the door. "If Road is aiding Tyki, then this could be an impossible battle."

Lavi stood right in front of the door, and his eye glowed a soft green. He was perfectly still for a moment, then he blinked and stood back. "I'm not so sure she is helping him, Allen. The door is slightly damaged from use - the paint is peeling, and the doorknob is really worn. The hinges are beginning to rust. This is her door, but I don't think she's been her since she made it." He stepped back, focussing on what was through the door while looking at what was behind it in the Ark. After thirty seconds more, he broke his own concentration with a sigh. "I think this is a gateway to a parallel version of this Ark - perhaps the real town this could be based on? I'm unsure if it's in our world, or another, but it definitely isn't just an empty doorway - the mansion beyond is slightly different to the one on the hill above us."

"That's where he's taken them." Allen, Lavi and Roxas turned to face Cloud, who used the pause to push through them, and storm through the door.

Roxas shouted, "Cloud WAIT!" but it was too late - the other blond had stepped through the door and stopped short on the other side, clutching his side. Lavi leapt through, and put his arm around the deceptively slight man, catching him before he fell. Roxas ran through to support Cloud, but the instant he stepped through the door, he understood what had floored Cloud - a terrible wrenching feeling, brought on by boiling heat surging in his veins. It was momentary and dissipated, but he was left feeling slightly odd inside, like something was different in his mind. A sudden tingling presence in the depths of his being caused him to snap his head up in shock, and he locked eyes with Cloud.

"Axel..."

"Reno's here! I can feel him. It's so faint..."

"My Will - it's like I can't draw it very well. It's so... thick?"

"I think it's because we're on a different plane. Our power IS drawn from the world and people around us."

A thought struck Roxas. "If he can't... Axel will get cold."

Allen threw him a questioning look, and Cloud elaborated quickly, "Axel has a very strong affinity for fire, and it raises his body temperature a few degrees, whatever the weather - without that connection he will probably become hypothermic."

Allen nodded. "Then we have no time to delay.

* * *

**Yes, yes, of course you got the silly VII VIII joke. You know you did. Because you are clever. Lavi's opinion is not necessarily mine.**


	6. Chapter Five

"What I wouldn't give for a smoke right now." Reno patted down his waistcoat, and grunted his disapproval at his utter lack of a lighter after drawing one lone cigarette from the depths of a forgotten pocket. He looked sullenly to his younger brother who sat on the lone bench across the room, his knees drawn to his chest. Half out of habit, half intending to demonstrate his powerlessness Axel stretched out his hand and clicked his fingers. Both boys were surprised to see his fingertips burst into flame. Axel lifted his head, and the sight affirmed what he'd felt, and his eyes widened. Instantly, Reno was at his side. "How did you do that?" Axel shook his head, shrugging. "Is it 'cause you're stronger than me?"

"I don't think so. I don't know why it worked! I thought it would be funny to show you it didn't work, but it did! I couldn't do it before, I don't know what-"

"I believe I do." A cool voice jolted the two out of their amazement, and they whipped their heads round to come face to face with Tyki, who stood leaning casually against the wall in the far corner of the room. There was amusement behind his eyes, and Reno felt Axel shrink into the bench behind him. "I have been to many worlds, and I have encountered several like yourselves who could bend and shape the elements around them and they all had one thing in common - the more of them there were, the more powerful they became. Usually, moving them here is enough to cut off their power, but you two are something else - no-one has ever had a group come after them before. Clearly, you are cared for." Reno blinked.

"Cloud and Roxas! They're here, aren't they! I knew I could feel that fatass no-good spikey twat anywhere!"

Axel, however, had a different train of thought.

"No-one? None of these guys-" he gestured upwards "-had someone come for them?"

"A few," Tyki admitted, "when I forgot to close the portal to their world. But none ever came in groups - usually a lover full of hate and rage and revenge. I do distinctly remember enjoying a little scuffle I had with a demon dressed as a butler quite recently. I must be getting old, if I'm becoming that absent-minded." He sighed softly, and his face looked somewhat wistful. "It is of no consequence. I shall dispose of them, and then after I've cleaned up, I'll begin with you two." Reno had no time to react to the rush of Will he felt behind him, and he felt his left arm singe as an enormous flurry of flames exploded out from behind him to rush at Tyki. The intensity was like nothing he'd ever felt from his brother before - even cut off from most of the source of his Will, he still managed to open his mind and forcibly Speak. If Reno had to guess, he'd have assumed it was fuelled purely by hate, something he hadn't thought Axel capable of, but it was justifiable.

When the flames died, Axel collapsed back on the bench, and Reno put his hand to his forehead - the spikey-haired boy was clammy and shaking with the spent effort. Unfortunately, a harsh chuckle from the flames showed that it had been for naught - Reno watched as the fires faded, to see that Tyki was still standing amongst them, untouched. He stretched out his hand to touch the edge of a dancing lick of flame, and, much as he had done with Reno's entire body earlier, the fire passed through him, leaving no trace.

"My dear boy, that was most admirable. Futile, but admirable, nonetheless. I can see I'm going to have to watch out for you." He stepped forward, and Reno angled himself between Tyki and his weakened brother, but Tyki did the unexpected and jutted his arm forward so that it passed straight through Reno's chest. The older redhead's eyes popped open, and his stomach churned as his body rejected something it couldn't actually feel but knew was there. Tyki smirked. "What you cannot feel, boy, is the rather unusual sensation of my hand around your heart. Axel, be a dear and follow me kindly. Should you try anything like that again, I will remove my hand and bring an organ of my choosing with it. I see no reason to otherwise restrain you." He gave the lightest of pulls forward, and Reno rose to his feet like a puppet. Axel stood, shaking, and followed his captor and stricken brother out of the room.

* * *

Deep within the earth in the mansion grounds, a pink-eyed creature stirred.

* * *

Allen was impressed. He found himself having difficulty keeping up with the two blonds ahead of him, but they were struggling to keep up with the one-eyed redhead leading the party to the mansion. They thundered up the hill to the front door, and Allen's left eye itched. He stopped to look around, but could see no trace of any akuma in any direction. Immediately, Cloud noticed.

"Allen, are you... what is with your eye?"

Lavi whirled at the question, knowing full well the implication behind the answer Allen had yet to give.

"My left eye can see akuma's souls - in effect, see them for what they are."

"Akuma?"

"I said before, the Earl has footsoldiers he calls akuma. They are war machines possessing the souls of the recently departed and living in the bodies of those who grieved for them. Demons of sorts. But I don't see any trace of them nearby... I can sense _something_, but there is nothing around..." He trailed off as he cast his eye downwards, and the familiar ring of his eye activating sounded in his head.

"Allen, what is it?" Lavi demanded.

"It's... underneath us..."

"No matter. We're prepared for a fight. They're just fodder." Cloud and Roxas nodded, and turned to knock on the door, only for the door to swing open before they reached it. Roxas' sense of unease took a leap from the pit of his stomach to the back of his throat, but the soft candlelight inside inexorably drew him in, and he stepped over the threshold, Cloud in close step behind him, and Allen close behind.

* * *

Once inside, they stopped short at the statue of Grell Sutcliff in the hallway. Allen walked to the statue to touch the figure's hair, but was shocked to find it was _living_.

"That's just-"

"Unsettling?" A voice from the top of the stairs rang out, jolting all three out of their skin. Allen whipped his head around quickly - Lavi was nowhere to be seen. He frowned, and made for the doorway, but it slammed shut before he came close. He faced the stairs, and looked up. Allen was utterly unsurprised by the sight of the Noah at the top of the stairs staring out over the mezzanine balcony, his eyes burnt gold and a grin plastered on his face. He wore his hair loose, but the telltale crosses of his heritage were just visible under the curls of his fringe. He was dressed as Allen had seen several times before - a loose-fitting white shirt clung limply to his frame, and his black slacks ran smoothly down his legs. His shoes, in contrast, were old and frayed canvas lace-ups. "That would be because he IS real, dear children. Locked in that manner, unmoving, but seeing and hearing everything. He's beautiful, isn't he?"

"Tyki Mikk!" Allen called out, and both Roxas and Cloud jumped at the commanding tone in his voice. "What have you done with the two you kidnapped earlier tonight?"

Tyki laughed softly. "I did no such thing - they followed me here of their own accord." He paused, as if rethinking his statement. "Whether or not they still wish to be here is another matter entirely." He raised his hands with a swift movement, and from behind him floated another statue - that of Reno. His face was ashen, and his ponytail was untied, leaving his beautiful hair hanging limply behind him. Of Axel, there was no sight. Cloud started for the stairs angrily, but Allen deftly caught him by the shoulder and pulled him back. "Oh, I see. This one is yours, then. I do presume the other one belongs to your shorter companion? I hardly think Allen Walker has an interest; he's far too busy playing kisschase with that grumpy excuse for a swordsman." Roxas stole a questioning look at Allen, who was totally unfazed, leaving the short blond wondering if Tyki was just teasing him.

"Tyki. Please release Axel and Reno at once."

Roxas, however, had a different thought. "Where **is** Axel?"

"Roxas?" From behind Tyki, Axel slowly appeared and Roxas gasped. The boy looked ill, and he was shaking. His shirt was unevenly buttoned, and he moved with an awkward gait. However, he curled the edge of his lips into the softest, briefest smile, and Roxas knew he was not in immediate danger.

"He is here also, as you can see, they are both undamaged. Walker! Did you come alone? I'm surprised your knight protector let his little 'moyashi' out on his own..." Allen bristled at that, and Roxas knew that the person who had roared angrily through the communication device earlier cared a great deal for Allen, as Allen did for him. "Ah, I see. You have come to find your master, have you not? And you picked up these two on your way. Well, I am afraid that I cannot acquiesce to your request - I have grown fond of my decorations, and have no particular desire to give them up just now. Are they not beautiful?" With a great heave, Tyki raised his arms, and from behind him, two new statues rose up from the ground and floated gently over the balcony's edge, until they were hovering directly above the statue of Grell. Roxas stared.

The figure was of a broadly-built man with long (but nowhere near as long as Grell's) crimson hair, a black flowing coat and black trousers. Resting on the base was an oversized wide-brimmed hat, and seated on the hat was, for want of a better description, a yellow ball with teeth and long, delicate wings. The man held a gun in his right hand which was aimed outwards, and he bore a cocky grin.

"Master! Timcanpy!" Allen said, and he started forward, but, in a reverse of their earlier interchange, Cloud held him back a safe distance. When the white-haired boy actually bothered to see the last statue, he needed no restraints as confusion set in.

It was Lavi, but it was not Lavi - while on first glance there were similarities - bright red hair, eyepatch over right eye, cheesy grin and tall as anything, this person was clearly a number of years older than Lavi, wore a rumpled suit, and held aloft a cigarette in one hand; an oversized pistol with a huge clip in the other. A second pistol was attached to his belt.

"_Can __you __hear __me?_" Both Cloud and Roxas snapped to attention as Axel's voice whispered in their minds. They nodded mutely, and Tyki narrowed his eyes, but carried on talking. Neither blond were listening, however. "_Good. __We __haven__'__t __really __got __our __powers __here, __and __this __guy __can__'__t __be __touched __by __anything __he __doesn__'__t __want __touching __him. __I __think __I__'__ve __got __an __idea __though, __but __I __need __to __leech __Will __from __you __two __to __do __it. __Can __you __channel __your __Will __to __me? __I __think __I __can __leech __from __that __Allen __guy, __too. __If __you __can, __squeeze __your __right __fist._" Both Cloud and Roxas clenched their right fists briefly.

"...so you see." Tyki finished his little monologue, and gazed lovingly at his two statues. Allen spat back at him,

"Tyki Mikk... I don't understand why you're doing this!"

"Because I can, Allen Walker, as simple as that. I am merely... indulging a fetish." He smirked as he spoke, but for some reason, it didn't quite ring true to Roxas, but his impatience and concern for Axel meant he didn't dwell on it. Instead, he concentrated everything he had on drawing every last tiny piece of Will from inside him, and channelling it to the redhead, and the gentle trickling feeling from his right told him Cloud was doing the same - once again, he was awed by the difference between them as Cloud's was still immense compared to Roxas' - although, they were both a fraction of their normal potential. He watched as Axel visibly straightened and began to look better. He stopped shaking, and the sensation of Will changed from Roxas pushing to Axel pulling it from him. He could almost see the aura of joined Will around Axel, and the tiniest flame of hope lit within him. After an almost agonisingly long time, Axel's mouth moved, but while no sound physically left him, the sound inside his head was as clear as if he'd yelled it.

"_MOVE_!" There was a terribly long pause, and disappointment was etched on Axel's face, before his eyes widened and his expression turned triumphant. Roxas failed to see what he had done, but whatever it was, it had worked. Totally unaware of the supernatural interchange that had just occurred, Allen pounded his fist angrily against the statue of Grell, and was stunned when the statue reacted by doubling over in pain.

"Owwwww! How COULD you, you vile little brat, punching a lady! Have you no manners!" The formerly-still shinigami straightened himself and smoothed his slightly wrinkled waistcoat where Allen had unthinkingly hit him. All five conscious souls in the room watched, stunned, as he ran a finger through his immaculate hair, and sniffed disapprovingly. He turned around to face Tyki. "Indulging a fetish indeed. As if anyone believes that - I've seen you cr-" Tyki cut him off angrily by levelling an accusatory gaze at the three below him.

"WHAT HAVE YOU DONE!"

"_They_ have done nothing. A fool like you could never understand - you are hopeless at recognising power." All eyes in the room turned to look at the doorway, which now stood open, unnoticed by all. A white-gloved hand rested lightly on the door jamb, and was connected to a figure whose well-dressed clothing was marred by a thick crusting of mud and dirt. He had uneven, and yet painstakingly carefully maintained mid-length black hair, and his posture was so upright, Roxas unconsciously stood up straighter. His face was a study in fury, and his eyes were glowing a soft pink. Grell clapped his hands in delight.

"Sebas-chaaaaaaaan~! You've come to fight for me."

"Correction, Grell dear. I have returned to fight for you once more, but it seems I have no need to do so - the young gentleman has removed the need, but not the desire. I have been most terribly embarrassed, being bested in combat and then forced to to endure being buried alive - most unsatisfactory."

Allen put a hand to his eye and called out, "You're a... demon?"

"Indeed - I am also one hell of a butler. I am Sebastian Michaelis - you must be Allen Walker. I was told you would be able to see my true nature. I bear you no ill, please do not assume I have anything to do with your war, or even your world." Allen raised an eyebrow. "Tyki Mikk. Perhaps you would like to dance once more?" Tyki pinched the bridge of his nose with his thumb and forefinger, and feigned an expression of being hassled.

"If you must." Before anyone could react, he had disappeared and reappeared instantly before the black-haired butler, who leapt to action and produced a serving knife from nowhere, scoring a cut along Tyki's face. The golden-eyed man's skin instantly turned grey as a few drops of almost black blood spilled from the wound, and he gritted his teeth in anger, furious at having been caught unprepared. An explosion of flame around him stopped him short, however, and he turned his head to Axel. "I see you have regained some strength. Perhaps I should have restrained you, after all." Axel answered him by causing a fireball to materialise in thin air, but Tyki vanished on the spot and appeared next to Roxas; Cloud had predicted the attack and swung with his sword, forcing the Noah to retreat once more.

Flitting about, Tyki managed to avoid any further hits, and while Cloud, Roxas, Allen and Sebastian moved as fast as they could, it was patently obvious that even the four of them simply could not overpower the crazed Noah, who did not even slow as he grinned. He landed a particularly vicious kick to Roxas, knocking the younger blond down, drawing a gasp and a responding fireball. Allen fought fiercely, but knew that Tyki was barely even toying with them.

All hope seemed to dwindle, until eventually Tyki paused near a window in the hallway, and an enormous hammer burst through the glass and crashed down onto the spot where he had been standing. Tyki jumped back, narrowly avoiding the weapon's ridiculously oversized head, and looked at the figure through the dust and shattered glass.

"You..."

Lavi smirked at him and answered, "Who else?" Tyki's eyes widened momentarily, and, not dropping eye contact with the redheaded Exorcist, he leapt backwards to spring himself to the base of Grell's statue, forgetting entirely that the shinigami was no longer stationary. Everyone in the room started for him aggressively, but were frozen on the spot as a loud buzzing sound cut through the building tension and the tip of Grell's chainsaw slid through the front of his chest. Tyki stiffened, and fell immediately to the floor, twisting as he fell to lie on his back, his limbs splayed outwards as blood poured from the ugly wound. Allen was the first to speak.

"But how..."

Axel answered in unison with Sebastian. "Death scythe. It can cut through _anything_." Their eyes met, and Sebastian bowed respectfully.

"Axel. It is an honour to meet you. Thank you most kindly for doing what I could not - for freeing my dear friend Grell."

Grell looked lividly affronted.

"Friend? FRIEND! Are you ashamed of me, Sebas-chan? Does the song of love no longer beat from your heart?" Melodramatic tears filled his eyes until Sebastian slowly met them, and looked wearily at him.

"Please, my love. Have some decorum. Now is neither the time, nor the appropriate place discuss such things." Grell was about to protest, but Tyki drew his attention again and he realised what Sebastian had meant. From the deep wound on Tyki's chest, all watched as a multitude of ribbons rose to drift and curl in every direction. On closer inspection, they were a series of photographs, mostly of Tyki. Allen looked at Lavi, who had stepped forward, his most emotionless face looking at the projections. Cloud asked the question that was on the others' minds.

"What _is_ this?" Grell spoke softly, and his voice was touched both with pride and glee.

"The Cinematic Record. It tells the story of the individual's life. It is my job as a shinigami to judge people at the moment of death as to whether or not they should be allowed to continue living, or die and have their soul collected." He adjusted his glasses, and reached forward to inspect the film strip emanating from the stricken Noah. As though they were behind Grell's eyes, the vision appeared before everyone present's minds eye.

* * *

_-I-_

_Tyki __was __lying __asleep __on __the __floor. __He __was __bloodied __and __beaten, __but __his __wounds __had __been __tended __to. __A __cloth __bandage __covered __one __eye, __and __there __were __gashes __that __had __been __stitched __all __over __the __skin __that __was __visible. __He __awoke __confused, __searching __around __him __to __see __where __he __was __- __he __didn__'__t __recognise __the __room, __which __was __devoid __of __anything __resembling __furniture __- __he __himself __was __the __only __object __breaking __up __the __space. __When __he __turned __to __move, __an __enormous __tear __was __visible __through __the __back __of __his __torn __shirt, __and __he __winced __and __touched __his __fingers __to __it. __He __cried __out __raggedly, __leaned __forward, __and __hugged __his __knees __- __he __was __alone._

_-II-_

_ Several weeks later, Tyki stood outside the newly-built Black Order's European Headquarters, anger coursing through him - his family had suffered greatly, while the exorcists had seemed to lose nothing. As he watched from behind a postbox, three exorcists exited the front of the building - their faces were familiar, and he searched for names - Allen Walker he knew, but the other two took effort before they bubbled to the surface - Kanda Yu, and Lenalee Lee. They were walking towards him, and he considered briefly opening a fight, even in his weakened state, but then Lenalee turned and shouted behind her._

_ "Come ON, Lavi! Are you ever going to hurry up!" With a trip, the one-eyed exorcist he had fought on the rooftops of Edo ran out of the front gate to catch up with his friends, and Tyki found himself frozen on the spot. The dark-skinned man felt something he couldn't quite place - a vague attraction that was a throwback to his time as the former Noah of Pleasure. His resolve left him, and his slunk back into the shadows._

_-III-_

_Sleep utterly evaded him. He had not slept in weeks, devoid of companionship and consumed with a lust he could not sate with any whore or unsuspecting civilian. While following a hunch on some Innocence, he had encountered the one-eyed Exorcist accompanied by only a lone Finder, and followed him back to his room at a nameless inn after successfully retrieving the required Innocence. Tyki watched from outside the window, floating three stories up as the redhead secured the Innocence in a case, then bathed, eventually turning down his bed and resting atop it, naked but for the towel around his waist, where he settled to read a small book. As he watched, Tyki cast his eyes over the lean, toned lines and soft curves of Lavi's reclined form, feeling a sickening ache down below. Before he knew it, the redhead had drifted off to sleep, book askew on his chest, and Tyki passed through the window. Something compelled him to stay slightly back, and instead, he gave in to the desire and silently touched himself, eyes ever-roaming on the cooling pale skin in front of him. Eventually, he came with a small shudder, brushed a light finger over Lavi's shoulder, and then ran - faster than he had ever run. He ran until he reached a small forest, and, settling down under the shelter of a tree, he smiled to himself for the first time in months and fell into a deep sleep._

_IV_

"_We can't have that, can we?" Tyki listened from behind the wall of a building in Paris to the banter between Lavi and Kanda, and took a momentary pause to steel himself. This was it - the day he took what he desired, needed. He closed his eyes briefly, and emerged through the wall, fully intent on grabbing the redhead against his will, but nerves and anticipation had rendered him unable to move, and by the time he came through, Lavi had run towards Kanda at the other end of the alley. Cursing himself, he reversed and ran back through the wall, knowing he would probably never even touch the man he was so twistedly in love with._

_-V-_

_Later the same evening, despondent and confused, Tyki sat in the back table of an empty, dingy Parisian bar. The sounds of fighting outside had long since died down, and he had no desire to return to the Earl just yet. The room spun and he couldn't quite recall just how much he'd managed to down. A red blob seated itself at his table, and he tried to focus, but couldn't quite manage it._

"_Oi, oi... got a light?" The voice was cocksure, but Tyki's vision was so blurred he couldn't identify the speaker, though his mind tried._

"_Somewhere.__" __He __slurred __roughly, __and __he __picked __up __and __sloshed __the __last __mouthful __of __merlot __in __the __bottle __in __front __of __him. __He __patted __his __chest __until __he __found __the __lighter __buried __in __an __upper __pocket, __and __held __it __out __before __looking __at __the __person __making __the __request. __Finally __focusing, __he __was __forced __to __sit __up __straight __as __his __brain __screamed _HIM_, __and __clocked __the __man __over __the __head __with __his __empty __bottle __of __wine __before __he __had __a __chance __to __comprehend __what __he __was __doing._

_ Dragging the now unconscious man upstairs to an empty room, he laid him out on the bed and searched his pockets to find a name - apparently the doppelganger was a journalist, Badou Nails. The only other possessions he found on the man were two Ingram pistols, a mangled packet of cigarettes and a pen and a piece of paper. He marvelled at the similarities between the Exorcist that was the subject of his growing obsession, and this man in front of him - same missing eye (although he had no idea what was truly under the Bookman Jr's eyepatch), same colour hair, same build. He sat on the bed and smoked a cigarette of his own, trying to work out what to do, when, too slowly, he reacted to a shift in the weight distribution on the bed and there was a tearing pain in his side. Turning around, unaffected, he came face to face with the business end of one of the pistols he had neglected to remove earlier, and a cocky grin._

_ "Hey, mister, I only asked for a light, not a fucking ass-job." Tyki, still under the effects of the alcohol he'd drunk earlier, panicked slightly, wishing internally that time would stand still and then... the Noah inside him reacted where his drunken mind could not, and forced a rapid fist through the grinning journalist's skull. Badou did not shoot again. He was sitting on the spot, frozen still. Tyki waved a brief hand in front of the man, but there was no reaction._

* * *

There was an horrendous burst of static, and the few flashes that followed were brief - Tyki discovering a live door to the Ark in Milan, being overjoyed at Road's door still existing to burn a path to her father's old home, dragging the statue of his proxy-Exorcist to stand on the balcony, carefully exploring the Ark and finding a doorway to another world, kidnapping a little boy with red hair and thick kohl-lined eyes, crying in his sleep, repeating his theft on several worlds, feeling more and more hollow with each poor substitute. It also showed, intermittently, Tyki invading the Order's headquarters regularly, to sleep in Lavi's bed when he was absent, and on the floor underneath it on the rare occasions that the apprentice Bookman was present. Allen flicked his gaze to Lavi every so often, but the apprentice Bookman showed no emotion other than the occasional tightening of his lips. Eventually, the scene became lengthy again, and it showed everything that had happened since Axel and Reno had come through the Ark gate. When at last the images faded, the group immediately split - Roxas and Cloud ran up the stairs to where Axel and Reno lay against each other, and Allen reached out a hand to touch Lavi, who stepped back from the contact, eyes both lost and stormy at once. Grell continued to examine the Cinematic Record, and did not notice the gentle hand that touched his shoulder.

Cloud reached his unconscious lover first, and scooped him up into his arms, concern etched on his face. He patted Reno on the cheek, and blue eyes responded by fluttering open.

"Took you long enough." Cloud responded to the rebuke by pulling Reno close to him, and wrapping his arms around the redhead, who attempted to mobilise. Roxas, on the other hand, could not rouse Axel, and he looked desperately to Cloud for help. Reno hauled himself off of Cloud with some difficulty, and they both leaned forward to aid Roxas, but it was to no avail - Axel was beyond waking. Cloud put a steadying hand on Roxas' arm, and the younger blond fought his rising panic to reach out his mind towards the sleeping older boy. He was rebuffed by Axel's own consciousness.

_"__Axel?__"_

_ "I need to sleep, Roxas - that was too much. But... thanks for coming for me."_

_ "Just... before you go?"_

_ "...yeah?"_

_ "...I love you, Axel. I'm glad you're safe."_

_"__Me __too.__"_ With that, Axel went totally limp in Roxas' arms, but the short blond looked to his two companions and grinned at them.

"I think... he's ok. He's just tired."

Cloud nodded. "I'm not surprised. That took incredibly skill - he had to totally destroy Tyki's own power over the guy with the chainsaw."

"Grell." Both blonds looked to Reno. "Grell Sutcliff. Be a bit more respectful, it's not every day you get to meet a demi-god."

* * *

Below on the ground level of the hall, Allen looked at Lavi with concern. The older boy seemed to be mulling over what he had seen, and he was as horrified as the younger - it was plainly obvious that Tyki had been 'collecting' red-haired boys and men as a substitute to feed his obsession with Lavi. There had been no fewer than 16 separate abductions, including General Cross' accidental one, each of which were on display in the room underneath them. A flurry of movement on the balcony caused Allen to look up, to see Cloud and Reno shoulder Axel between them, with Roxas following behind. They reached the bottom of the stairs, and Roxas spread his coat out on the floor so that the other two could carefully lay down their burdens onto the floor.

"Is he alright?" Allen asked, concern evident in his voice. Roxas nodded.

"I think so. He's just... I think that took everything he had... and we had... just to do that. He'll be out for a while."

"Most unfortunate." Sebastian had spoken, and they all turned to look to him for explanation, as his tone implied more than a mere observation. "It would seem that he was the only one capable of waking those as he did for Grell. If he is unable to do so, then we may be unable to animate them."

"Not so, my little Sebas-chaaaaan! When a soul dies and is collected, all influence they have had on the world ceases. That would mean all of those delightful gentlemen will wake up. If you'll just give me a moment and I can pass judgement-"

"Kill him." All eyes turned to face Lavi, who had not spoken once since they had watched Tyki's Cinematic Record. His voice was firm and surprisingly calm.

"Lavi?"

"Kill him. At first I felt almost sorry for him, lonely like that, but what he's done is wrong. He's... twisted. Let him die. It... it's almost doing him a favour." Grell looked around the room briefly, but no-one answered said another word. He nodded softly and smiled.

"Then it is done." From a hidden pocket inside his waistcoat he pulled a tiny notebook, which expanded rapidly to become a large leather-bound tome. He opened it, and the Cinematic Records flowed from Tyki's wound to the book. When the last film strip left Tyki, the book snapped shut and shrank once more, where Grell looked at it, satisfied, and popped it in his pocket again. Sebastian held his hand, gently. Their eyes met, and Sebastian opened his arms so the feminine shinigami could lean and snuggle him, which he did, gleefully. Sebastian brought a hand up to stroke Grell's hair, and he shut his pink eyes in relieved pleasure.

Their moment was interrupted by a hacking cough from the floor, which startled everyone. Lavi looked down first, to come eye to eye with the sorrowful, dying eyes of the Noah. Tyki gazed up at him, sadness and a thousand apologies behind his eyes, and tried to speak.

"L-Lavi... I don't exp-pect you to f-f-forgive me, but..."

Lavi's eyes were furious. "As if I should, could, or would."

"I don't want you to, Mr. Eyepatch. I just... want you to know - I did it because I wanted you, but... I couldn't have you. I don't think I ever would have. It... got out of hand. Please... I didn't want to be alone... and I won't die alone, now." He raised his hand, and managed to stroke a thumb to the redhead's cheek, and he smiled. "I wish... I had just been able to hold you once." His eyes rolled back, and every muscle went slack. Tyki Mikk, former Noah of Pleasure, was dead.

* * *

**OTL the first time I wrote this, I felt I mangled Tyki's dying. So... I hope this reads a bit better!**


	7. Epilogue

The next few hours passed by in a blur for Roxas. Reno showed them to the basement, where the twelve statues had been freed on Tyki's exit from the land of the living. They looked at each other, making the connection between them. Reno explained briefly what had happened, and Roxas explained where they were, and how they would need help getting home. Axel lay on the red sofa in the living room all the while, and Roxas checked on him periodically, but knew that dragging the redhead home would be the last thing they did.

In the meantime, Lavi and Allen took the dead body of the Noah upstairs to the master bedroom, and laid him out on the bed, out of the way of the door at the top of the basement stairs. On the way, they ran into Cross, who, after momentarily berating Allen for taking so long to get there, noticed the burden they carried between them, and let them pass. Allen made to leave to fill in his Master on the events that had happened, but Lavi opted to stay behind with Tyki, and took a seat next to the bed. Cross looked suspiciously at him, but Allen pulled him out of the room and closed the door behind him.

"Allen, you idiot, how dare you! What was that for!"

"I don't think Lavi can be downstairs with all of the others that Tyki had taken - he feels responsible."

"It's not his fault, I'll go and tell the idiot-"

"Shisho! Leave him, please. He just needs time."

* * *

Not long after Tyki had died and been brought upstairs, Kanda and Lenalee arrived, accompanied by Bookman and General Tiedoll. After being informed by Allen as to what happened, they began to ferry those imprisoned by Tyki back to their own worlds, and by the end of two hours, it was done. Last to leave were Grell and Sebastian, although they needed no guidance, as Sebastian had made his own way. In the end, Roxas, Cloud and Reno bid farewell to the exorcists, and thanked them for their help. Lavi stood away from the group, his expression downcast, but Roxas pushed past the mini-wall of people, to embrace the sullen boy. He closed his arms, and muttered a small, genuine thanks. Lavi softened, but did not look at the shorter boy. There was a pregnant pause, but Reno broke it by waving a grateful goodbye, and wandered downstairs to collect his still-sleeping younger brother. Cloud followed him, and Roxas left last. They held Axel between them, and carried him carefully out the front door. As he walked out of the building, Roxas took one last look up at the balcony, to see the green-eyed boy bent over the edge, looking down at them. He straightened suddenly, widened his eye, and a tear fell down his cheek. He put a hand to his mouth, brushed away the tear with his knuckles, and nodded to himself. He met Roxas' eyes, smiled briefly, turned and walked back towards the master bedroom.

* * *

Two weeks passed, and still Axel slumbered. He was in his own home, in his own bed, but he had yet to show any sign that he was going to wake up. Reno had recovered, but he was not badly injured - a cut on his cheek and a bump to the head were all he had physically endured. Almost the moment they had come back through the final gate and popped out onto the alley off West Street, Axel's cheeks flushed with colour and he had stopped shivering in his sleep as his body slowly acclimatised to the influx of latent Will on the plane, but after that, he had made no progress, but neither did he deteriorate. His and Reno's father, unable to understand what happened but sensitive enough to the situation, put a cot up in Axel's room for the blond to keep close. Reno and Cloud put their plans to move to Midgar on hold, but as each day went by, hope for Axel began to droop. Vincent returned from Midgar early, but even after having the events recounted to him, and assessing Axel's condition thoroughly, he too was unsure of the effects of not only being cut off from his own Will for that long, but also then exhausting ever meagre supply in the vicinity for a too-large Spoken effort. The reality that the boy might never wake weight heavily on the sad family's shoulders.

Roxas was sitting on the floor, with his locomotive sculpture on a worn and paint-splattered coffee table in front of him. He was putting the final touches to the gold edges around the smoke stack, and he was concentrating so hard it took him a long time to notice that some of the paint parts he had already done had begun to dribble down along the cylinder. When he did, there were six tiny trails trickling towards the main body of the engine, and he frowned at then, confused. Wiping the sweat that had formed on his brow, he grabbed the rag that was flung aside on the edge of the table, and dabbed carefully at the paint, to find that the red paint underneath was also smudging loose. He swore loudly, and removed his jacket as the heat was unbearable, cursing at the difference between the heating inside and the cold day outside. It suddenly hit him like a sucker punch right between the eyes - there was no heating plumbed into Axel's room, for good reason - it was a waste of effort and money.

He turned around to find the redhead sitting up in bed, gazing intently at him. He was so shocked that Axel managed to speak first, the edge of a grin impishly curling the corners of his mouth.

"I thought you said you couldn't work with me arou-" Axel was cut off by Roxas launching himself at him, leaping up onto the bed to wrap his arms around the older boy who coughed weakly, but returned the embrace. "...it looks beautiful, Roxas."

"I... we've been so worried, I thought..." Axel nodded softly.

"I'm sorry, Rox, I was just so tired... I was really out there in googooland, but I think I'm ok now, pretty sure." He raised his hand and flicked his fingers experimentally, a comforting lick of flame igniting from a fingertip. He threw his arms around the diminutive form of Roxas' shoulders, cradling him, and closed his eyes as he rested his head on the other's.

"AX!" Reno burst into the room, and catapulted at his brother, sending all three of them crashing backwards over the edge of the bed. Cloud appeared in the doorway and shook his head bemusedly. One by one, three heads appeared above the bed, and they clambered up to sit next to each other. Reno punched Axel in the upper arm, and Axel returned the gesture. "Dude, you are WAY lazy, I ever tell you that?" Axel's scowl was brief and at best flippant.

"Yeah, well, I had a rough day, so sue me." Reno opened his mouth to retort, but Cloud cleared his through gruffly, and Reno looked from Roxas to Axel, nodded to himself and got up to leave.

"Glad you're ok, bro. Had me worried there for a bit. I'll go tell Dad and Vincent you're awake."

"Give me a few minutes?" Axel's expression was warm but frail, and Reno took the hint. Cloud lingered, made eye contact and nodded to Axel, then closed the door behind him. Roxas looked at Axel, suddenly feeling the need to tell his lover his thoughts.

"Axel, Reno... I, um... We saw what happened to you. When Tyki died... we all saw it, it was like a film - we saw everything.." Roxas felt Axel flinch, and he looked up to see he was gritting his teeth and closed his eyes. "But... he's dead, Axel, you got him - well, Grell got him, and you did that, so... Axel?" He stopped, thinking he'd heard Roxas murmur something.

"'M sorry..."

"What! What do you POSSIBLY have to be sorry for? That bastard manipulated, seduced and... and... _raped_ you, Axel, and he was going kill you and Reno, sort of... There is NOTHING to be sorry for. Don't you dare." Axel looked bleakly at him, but there was a slight hint of appreciation in his eyes.

"No... I mean... I'm sorry I melted your paint."

**END**

* * *

**This entire fic was based on a song I like - you can read it from my profile. It came about because I have a total obsession with redheads. Hope you enjoyed it, thanks for coming along for the ride with me. ^_^**

**References!**

**All of the mentioned redheads, in order of abduction - **

**Badou Nails, from _Dogs/Dogs: Bullets and Carnage_ by Shirow Miwa (he's like Lavi's twin, and did not turn up in the original version of A Collection - because I had not read it yet!)**

**Gaara of the Sands, from _Naruto_ by Masashi Kishimoto**

**Renji Abarai, from _Bleach_ by Tite Kubo (dem teeth. dem tatts)**

**Jack Spicer, from _Xiaolin Showdown_ (betcha didn't get that!)**

**Grell Sutcliff, from _Kuroshitsuji_ by Yana Toboso. Oh, that lovely, lovely delicious man/woman. Sebastian Michaelis, obviously, comes from the same source.**

**Asch the Bloody, from _Tales of the Abyss_ - yesssss. My original draft of this had his little gimpy squaddee brother Luke, but it was too much. Also, Luke's such a twonk.**

**Tyki Mikk, Lavi, Allen Walker, Komui Lee, Lenalee Lee, Kanda Yu, General Cross, Timcanpy, Komurin, Bookman, General Tiedoll, Road Kamelot and her hinted at father Sheryl Kamelot belong, of course, to Katsura Hoshino. As you know. Because this is a -crossover.**

**Everyone else belongs to Nomura, and Squeenix. As you know. Because this is a Kingdom Hearts crossover, that has thefted mercilessly from Final Fantasy VII, because of course it has.**

**The Quester's Rest Inn, staffed by the wonderful Erin, is from _Dragon Quest IX_, as is Pavo - Trunks was the name of my main warrior in DQIX, and looks nothing like Trunks from Dragonball. Well, sort of like SS Trunks, I guess.**

**A special thanks goes out to Nia, for having the balls to tell me what was really shit (ie my dialogue), and of course, for Colleen, who edited this AFTER I'd originally posted it because I was impatient and she was very cross at me. Thanks, lovely ladies.**


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